Every test has a cutoff. some labs have different cutoffs. suppose one lab has a cutoff for 3 and another has a cutoff for 4. It means that there's some leeway in judging results based on studies OR that they are using different measurements. My son once had a lab that was positive. He was retested by a doctor whose lab had a different cutoff he was comfortable with. Who's right? Well, this is about SYMPTOMS. The ONLY test that will confirm celiac is an ENDOSCOPY or positive culture for dermatitis herpetiformis if you have it (-relatively- rare among celiacs even). If someone has an equivocal TTG test and other tests are negative, the doctor may advise against an endoscopy. You can still ask for one. An equivocal test, or weak positive is NOT a positive test or it'd just be called positive! It means it's elevated but not enough to confirm a celiac diagnosis (this is based on standards). Now, of course some people with equivocal results have celiac. Some don't. What are the numbers? I don't know but clearly if 90% of people with equivocal results that got tested had celiac confirmed by endoscopy, they'd rearrange the standard. Many people don't want to try the gluten free diet for a month to see if it improves symptoms. This is about symptoms. If they are that bad, you would get an endoscopy anyway. An endoscopy isn't nothing but I don't consider it a highly invasive procedure.
equivocal celiac results- weak positive
in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
Posted
to clear up some misinformation:
Every test has a cutoff. some labs have different cutoffs. suppose one lab has a cutoff for 3 and another has a cutoff for 4. It means that there's some leeway in judging results based on studies OR that they are using different measurements. My son once had a lab that was positive. He was retested by a doctor whose lab had a different cutoff he was comfortable with. Who's right? Well, this is about SYMPTOMS. The ONLY test that will confirm celiac is an ENDOSCOPY or positive culture for dermatitis herpetiformis if you have it (-relatively- rare among celiacs even). If someone has an equivocal TTG test and other tests are negative, the doctor may advise against an endoscopy. You can still ask for one. An equivocal test, or weak positive is NOT a positive test or it'd just be called positive! It means it's elevated but not enough to confirm a celiac diagnosis (this is based on standards). Now, of course some people with equivocal results have celiac. Some don't. What are the numbers? I don't know but clearly if 90% of people with equivocal results that got tested had celiac confirmed by endoscopy, they'd rearrange the standard. Many people don't want to try the gluten free diet for a month to see if it improves symptoms. This is about symptoms. If they are that bad, you would get an endoscopy anyway. An endoscopy isn't nothing but I don't consider it a highly invasive procedure.