Help Interpreting Blood Work Please!

[33Diane]

Hello, I got the results of my celiac panel blood test today and can't wait till Monday to ask my gp what the results mean! Please can someone help me interpret this:

Immunoglubulin A gliadin

(deamidated)

IGA

[GottaSki]

It looks like you are missing some numbers for the deamidated gliadin peptide result and that your Total Serum IgA is normal - the total IgA is not one of the celiac antibody tests - it is important but only to be sure you have sufficient IgA for the antibody tests to be as accurate as possible.

Take a look and try to type everything on the result page. If this is the only info you were given a lot is missing - ask the doctor for the results from all blood tests taken.

There should be

Total Serum IgA

tTG - both IgA and IgG

DGP - both IgA and IgG

EMA - IgA

[33Diane]

Thank you for your reply! Those are the only numbers that are displayed. So I guess some info is still missing? It was the "celiac panel" blood test and my doctor's office website lets me go on and see the results of bloodwork, but the above info is all I see.

So this number being in the normal range still does not rule out celiac?

[GottaSki]

Sorry - normal IgA level has nothing to do with Celiac Disease - it only indicates you are likely to make the antibodies tested for in the celiac panel.

Some folks have low IgA - in this case celiac antibody tests are not accurate.

Hope that's clear - on my cell I often don't word things as clearly as I do with a comp screen in front of me.

Get all the results and post them - there are several of us that can help interpret.

[33Diane]

Yes that makes sense, thank you for the explanation! I will post when I get full results then. I wonder why I can't see the numbers that really matter! Guess I have to wait till Monday after all

[33Diane]

TissuetransglutAminase AB, IGA 1 reference Range u/ml

Umunoglobulin A 189 81-463 mg/dl

Gliadin (deamidated) AB (IGA) 5 Units

This is all the information I can now see posted online for my celiac panel bloodwork. Nobody has called me regarding my results so I am assuming this means I am negative? Could someone help me interpret what the above numbers mean?

[mushroom]

TissuetransglutAminase AB, IGA 1 reference Range u/ml

Umunoglobulin A 189 81-463 mg/dl

Gliadin (deamidated) AB (IGA) 5 Units

This is all the information I can now see posted online for my celiac panel bloodwork. Nobody has called me regarding my results so I am assuming this means I am negative? Could someone help me interpret what the above numbers mean?

They have not given you the reference ranges to compare your results against.

[33Diane]

Thanks for your reply, I guess I will have to call and ask for hard copies sent. I'm frustrated by all this becuase no one has called and i feel the doctor was not too concerned with my symptoms and did my bloodwork in her office after seeing me, and now I read I should have been eating gluten for months, when I maybe had only 2 weeks of it in my system.

Maybe I could vent a little and get some feedback? the reason I went to the doctor is because I found I have sciatica - I run (now ran) 20 miles/week and injured my butt/leg from a new pair of shoes 2 months ago, causing me enough pain I had to stop running. I quickly got depressed about 2 weeks into being unable to run and started eating all the regular culprits, pizza, pasta, bread, pastries, etc. Before my injury I did eat this food but only very small quantities, my main diet is meat, vegetables, and diary. So anyways I started bloating and gaining weight quickly. I realized how horrible I felt (constipated, hazy, blurred vision, more and more carb cravings, edema and major brain fog) and remembering how in other times in my life I have felt like this too when eating this food regularly.

Especially in my pregnancy, I had extremely severe edema (thought my legs and feet would almost burst open) and gained 70 pounds - I had stopped my regular diet and was eating VERY healthy following the food pyramid specifically. (doctors thought I was lying and living in a McDonald's. Also told me these are just regular preg symptoms, which I understand, but my swelling was so severe I felt something was wrong). So anyways Ive started reading about this and feel there is something to this, I almost want something to be positive just to have vindication that my problems are real and not just in my head.

I have some food allergies (mainly nuts now, outgrew allergy to mushrooms and egg whites) and I have almost every environmental allergy possible. Is there a correlation between these types of allergies and celiac? If I go to an allergist instead of a gp, are they more well versed and aware of celiac and food intolerances, and able to test or diagnose you? Or must you see a gp?

My mother has had asthma and now severe rheumatoid arthritis, also we are european. She ate carbs most her life, though, while I have cut them out as much as possible for at least 15 years. Now I am scared this type of diet can be a contributing factor to getting her problems? Also recently noticed after my son got spinach all over his face that there was a rash underneath that dried up and stayed red for two days. Autoimmune problems run in our family but when I mentioned that to my gp, she smirked.

Anyways very sorry to go on and on, just feeling confused and let down. Before my son, I would just go back to my meat and veg without a second thought, but now that am trying to feed him correctly, offering food from all the food groups, all this food in my face daily and I just don't know if it is okay for me or not. Also still cannot run which is contributing to all this, for whatever reason when I run I can resist eating these grains much better. Mainly I am so concerned if eating this food just makes me fat (which I can learn to deal with), or if it is going to cause me more serious autoimmune issues down the road.

[Ollie's Mom]

Sadly, often there are no clear cut answers to any of your questions.

I'll start with some advice and what I would do if I were you:

I would stop eating gluten along with most other grains (especially corn). You know you feel better when you do not eat those things.

I would give up trying to convince my doctor(s) of anything. I'd use the docs for tests as I need them,and not much else. But this is the cynic in me coming out. . Doctors scoff at me often when I explain how much my health has improved since cutting out gluten and reducing my corn and dairy intake.

I'd throw the "food pyramid" info out the window. The recommendations in the food pyramid do not result in a healthy diet for human beings. I have my toddler on a mainly grain free diet (no gluten, for the most part we only eat rice) and a dairy free diet. He is thriving. I am healthy. My DH has lost weight and feels better than he has in ages.

And lastly, I'd say go with your gut instinct on this one. You asked for the blood tests because you have a hunch. There's probably something to that.

Take or leave my above advice. But that's what I'd do.

PS- fwiw, everyone I know who has swelled up during pregnancy is a heavy consumer of glutenous foods. In both my pregnancies, I didn't swell at all. I never even needed to take my rings off. This is all anecdotal, but something I've noticed. And your doctors are crazy if they think that much edema is normal during pregnancy. Argh, docs make me so angry sometimes.

[Ollie's Mom]

And one last thing:

Do NOT let anyone make you think these issues you are facing are "all in your head.". !!! I think many of us have heard that before, and IMHO it's what docs will say if they have run out of ideas of things to test for or reccomend.

[GottaSki]

I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY with Ollie's Mom --

one addition -- a good primary doc will listen -- mine does and admits that my case has her stumped -- BUT she does order ALL bloodwork I request by email.