Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Igg/iga/ttg


Mom22

Recommended Posts

Mom22 Apprentice

Both our daughter and son have been diagnosed with celiac disease this year via biopsies. Both were asymptomatic, but our son was experiencing constipation which warranted further testing. It was only through a diligent pediatrician did he order several blood screens and one was the gluten enterpathy and that started the ball rolling. He had a biopsy, came back positive, then his sister, had blood work, was elevated, had a biopsy which was inconclusive and had a second opinion by Dr. Fasano of her biopsy slides, which was positive for celiac. I had bloodwork done and all screens were negative. My husband had bloodwork done and also the HLA test and he does have the DQ2 & DQ8 genes. His IGG (112) and IGA (27) are elevated, but the TTG (4) is within normal limits. My husband is seeing Dr. Fasano in September. Due to knowing that the celiac came through my husband's side of the family, we advised his parents to have the initial blood screen done. My mother in law has had her test and the nurse practioner of her family physician called and said she was negative. She didn't have any of the #'s of the results. I asked her if she could get a copy and mail it to me only because initially, my husband's dr. said he was negative, but then when we received a copy of the results, we pursued further testing. I am a work in progress as far as my knowledge of celiac goes, but her results, I think may warrant further testing or seeing a specialist. Please tell me if I am wrong as I don't want to alarm my mother in law. I realize my mother in law could be a carrier and the celiac has not and may never develop in her. My father in law hasn't had his blood work done yet. What do you think?

My mother in law's results.

IGG: 27.7

IGA 42.1

TTG 6

Thanks for an light you can shed on this.

Mom 2 2 celiac children


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



mat4mel Apprentice

I am totally confused.. all of those results sound positive for celiac to me.. why would they say they were negative?

Mom22 Apprentice

Thanks. You just confirmed what I have been thinking all along. I thought the same thing, but they are telling my mother-in-law that her results are negative. I am thinking otherwise. Thank you for your input.

lovegrov Collaborator

Also sounds positive to me.

richard

gf4life Enthusiast

Here is my interpretation. See, my doctors office considers (wrongly) anything under 30 to be negative on the IgA and IgG, and under 20 negative on the tTg. So my interpretation is that they are ignoring the obviously positive IgA, since they seem to think the other two are negative.

The problem with this is that the blood tests are NOT as accurate as the doctors think and with even one of them showing positive then it is most likely celiac. Either further testing or a trial gluten-free diet is in order, but I don't recommend the diet until after the biopsy, assuming a biopsy might happen in the future. I personally chose Enterolab after the doctors insisted for two years that my tests were all negative, and the biopsy performed after being gluten-free was negative. Enterolab showed that I not only had the genes, but was producing positive level antibodies to gluten and casein in my intestines, but I did not have severe damage to my intestines (probably since they healed partially while I was gluten-free!).

I hope your mother-in-law doesn't have to be sick for long. Please urge her to get more testing done (or try the diet).

God bless,

Mariann

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,667
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    AubreyMBSMartin
    Newest Member
    AubreyMBSMartin
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Inkie
      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • Scott Adams
      Welcome to the community! Generally, for a gluten challenge before celiac disease blood tests, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered safe and should not interfere with your antibody results. The medications you typically need to avoid are those like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) that can cause intestinal irritation, which could potentially complicate the interpretation of an endoscopy if you were to have one. However, it is absolutely crucial that you confirm this with either your gastroenterologist or your surgeon before your procedure. They know the specifics of your case and can give you the definitive green light, ensuring your surgery is comfortable and your celiac testing remains accurate. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow
    • Xravith
      Thank you for the advice. I’ve actually never checked for nutritional deficiencies, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always taken vitamin and mineral supplements — otherwise my symptoms get worse. This week I stopped eating gluten to confirm whether my symptoms are really caused by it. Starting next week, I’ll reintroduce gluten — it’s sad to go back to how I was before — but at least I’ll be able to take the necessary tests properly. I think the diagnostic process will be long, but at least I’m happy that I finally decided to address this doubt I’ve had for years.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.