Blood And Genetic Tests
To find out if you have celiac disease, you may first get:
Blood test. This test checks for certain antibodies in your blood. Almost everyone with celiac has them in their blood at higher-than-normal levels.
HLA genetic test. This looks for the HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes. If you donât have them, itâs very unlikely that you have celiac disease. You may get a blood test, saliva test, or a swab of the inside of your cheek.
These tests arenât enough to show that you have celiac disease. But if the results show that you might, or it seems very likely you might have celiac disease, your next step is endoscopy.
Gluten Free Societys Stance
The biopsy as a gold standard for the diagnosis of gluten intolerance is dead, but doctors keep trying to cling to its corpse!
Gastroenterologists continue to foolishly use the biopsy as a gold standard despite the fact that thousands of patients have successfully gone gluten free and eradicated their symptoms of disease. Not to mention that study after study has proven how inaccurate this testing really is.
Understanding The Connection Between Gluten Intolerance And Autoimmune Disease
The hallmark of an autoimmune condition is that your immune system gets confused and attacks your body causing a long list of unpleasant symptoms. Some of the most popular forms of autoimmune disease are hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. In fact, roughly 20 million Americans suffer from thyroid disease, but since the symptoms are so variable over half of people with thyroid diseases dont even know they have it. In particular, women are five to eight times more likely to suffer from a thyroid condition than men.
Gluten is one of the most common exacerbating factors of a thyroid condition. Gluten is a mixture of two proteins found in wheat and other cereal grains. One of those proteins is called gliadin. The problem starts in your gut. If you have gluten sensitivity, gluten can begin to inflame your gut and degrade the lining of your small intestine. This next part is a little shocking, but its true. Over time, your inflamed small intestine can become permeable, allowing food particles to slip through, right into your bloodstream. This is what we in functional health circles call a leaky gut.
Well, free-floating food particles will raise the alarm of your immune system, which will rush in to destroy the invaders. Heres the rub. The protein gliadin looks a lot like the tissue of your thyroid. When your immune system identifies gliadin as an enemy that needs to be destroyed, it can also end up attacking your thyroid. Friendly fire!
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Preparing For The Test
Before testing for gluten sensitivity, dont begin altering your diet just yet. You can make a checklist of food to avoid later. To start, it is advisable that you continue eating the regular gluten-packed foods you normally consume. Basically, gluten needs to be present in your diet for the test to actually work.
What Is Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease. In people with coeliac disease, the lining of the small bowel is damaged by even tiny amounts of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley and oats.
Coeliac disease affects people of all ages and genders. It runs in families and can develop at any age from infancy to adulthood. Currently, the only available treatment is with a gluten-free diet.
Early diagnosis and treatment of coeliac disease significantly reduces the risk of most complications.
You should tell family who share your genes that you have coeliac disease. They can also be tested.
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Are You Confused About Your Celiac Disease Lab Results
We at Root Cause Medical Clinic San Jose know that, as if it wasnt hard enough to convince some doctors to do a celiac disease testlet alone one for gluten sensitivityonce you finally DO get tested, the interpretation of the results can be faulty.
While you shouldnt have to question your doctor, unfortunately when it comes to the interpretation of lab tests relating to celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, you may have to learn some test interpretation lingo in order to save your own health.
Dont worry about it being difficult to learn this data. Ill make it easy to understand. The important thing to know is that if you dont feel well, there is a reason. It may be a problem with gluten, it may be something else, but it IS something. Dont give up. If you need my help, Im here for you!
Diagnosing Those Who Are Gluten Sensitive
It is important to understand that gluten sensitivity is not a disease. It is a state of genetics. Much like an allergy, avoid the food, avoid the disease or symptoms that the food causes. That being said, genetic testing is the only accurate and early way to determine whether a person should avoid gluten. Gluten induced damage can start early in life as inflammation . It can take years before the damage manifests as illness. Early genetic testing is the new gold standard.
So how does one go about getting genetically tested for Celiacs? I was given a blood test and told I was fine but still continued to have symptoms . These last eight months things have gotten a lot worse. I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy and was told everything is fine, you just have IBS.
I dont even know where to start to just see if I might be sensitive. Lately pretty much everything makes my stomach ache, gives me the runs. Ive always had dizzy headaches and two years ago diagnosed with diabetes. Its just so confusing.
This is great news to get rid of a gold standard test that does not work. However, a person with non-celiac gluten sensitivity does not always have a positive genetic test. My 14 yr old has been gluten free for 4 years without being sick. Her genetic test was negative as well as blood testing. Maybe Enterolab has the answer with stool testing and should be looked into more.
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What Is A Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
A celiac gluten sensitivity is an allergic reaction to the gluten in individuals with celiac disease. Gluten is a major group of proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten consists of two proteins namely glutenin and gliadin. Among these two proteins, gliadin is responsible for the negative reactions in the body. Most of the people are free from a gluten allergy. If you have a family history of celiac disease, then you are at high risk for developing celiac gluten sensitivity.
Individuals with a health condition called celiac disease may have a gluten allergy. This condition is called celiac gluten sensitivity. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, where the body causes an abnormal immune response to gluten. Individuals with this condition when they take gluten-containing foods can lead to damage of intestines. The signs and symptoms of celiac disease in children are constipation, stomach pain, severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, pale colored and foul stool. Adults with celiac disease may show signs and symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, anemia, joint pain, missed menstrual periods, infertility, miscarriages, tingling in the hands and feet, etc.
Individuals who show the presence of antibodies like immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G against the gluten protein in the blood may have a celiac gluten sensitivity.
Physical Exam And Health Review
An initial visit with the doctor usually includes a physical exam and a review of a patients health history and present symptoms.
During the physical exam, the doctor can look for signs of celiac disease such as skin rashes or swelling in the abdomen. They may also listen to the abdomen with a stethoscope and check for nutritional problems like unexpected weight changes or tooth damage.
The doctor will also ask about symptoms a patient has experienced as well as their personal medical history. A patients family health history is used to determine if any close relatives have celiac disease. Doctors may ask about a persons typical diet and whether they currently eat gluten.
Based on these initial examinations, the doctor can decide how likely it is that a patient has celiac disease and whether further testing is appropriate.
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How Can I Get Tested For Non
Currently, there are no recommended methods to test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity . Some doctors offer saliva, blood or stool testing. However, these tests have not been validated and are therefore not accepted.
In the Beyond Celiac webcast, Dr. Guandalini adds to the fact that there are no reliable tests at this time, stating:
No antibodies in the blood are specific enough, or sensitive enough, for this condition. No antibodies in the stools can be utilized to diagnose or screen for this condition.
Dr. Fasano also touched on this topic and stated that his team is currently conducting research to identify biomarkers that may help to test for and diagnose non-celiac gluten sensitivity also known as gluten intolerance.
Celiac Disease Testing In Adults Vs Children
Celiac disease can affect children and adults. The approach to testing and the tests that are used are generally similar for both groups, but some differences include:
- Screening tests are more likely to be recommended in children over three who have no symptoms but are at an elevated risk of celiac disease. This increased risk may be because they have another autoimmune disorder, Down Syndrome, or a family history of celiac disease.
- In children, a diagnosis of celiac disease is usually only confirmed if a child shows a positive response to treatment with a gluten-free diet.
- For some children, it is possible to make an initial diagnosis without an endoscopy and biopsy if they have very high blood antibody levels and the presence of typical celiac disease symptoms.
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Managing Food Allergies In Children
Because fatal and near-fatal wheat allergy reactions, like other food allergy symptoms, can develop when a child is not with his or her family, parents need to make sure that their childs school, day care or other program has a written emergency action plan with instructions on preventing, recognizing and managing these episodes in class and during activities such as sporting events and field trips. A nonprofit group, Food Allergy Research & Education, has a list of resources for schools, parents and students in managing food allergies.
If your child has been prescribed an auto-injector, be sure that you and those responsible for supervising your child understand how to use it.
When To See A Doctor
You should see your doctor if you have any of the symptoms above when you eat foods containing gluten. This can be a sign of gluten intolerance or another serious problem like celiac disease or wheat allergy.
If you work with a doctor or registered dietician nutritionist to remove gluten from your diet but you still have symptoms or your symptoms get worse, you might have a condition other than gluten intolerance. If this happens, you should talk to your doctor or RDN, because you might need to change your diet or have additional testing done.
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Explanation Of Gluten Intolerance Blood Test Results
One simple blood test is all that may be needed to determine if a person has a gluten intolerance issue or is suffering from Celiac disease. In both instances, there will discomfort within the digestive tract whenever gluten products are consumed. When Celiac disease is present, then there will be specific antibodies present that can be measured through the gluten intolerance blood test. In order for the test to be accurate, an individual must be eating gluten-containing foods for the antibodies to develop.
This means the first step in the diagnosis process for gluten intolerance and to distinguish it from an allergy to wheat or Celiac disease is to test for these antibodies. The name of this particular test is the tTG-IgA blood test. Its the most sensitive test out of all the blood tests which are available. 98% of people who have Celiac disease will test positive on this blood test.
A negative result does not confirm that the bothersome signs and symptoms are due to a gluten intolerance issue. 2% of the population with Celiac disease will also test negative on the tTG-IgA blood test. For this reason, additional testing is often ordered if this first gluten intolerance blood test comes back as being negative.
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The Key To Gluten Intolerance Testing
The key with these gluten intolerance test in the lab is you MUST be eating gluten for roughly 4 weeks prior to testing in order to detect gluten antibodies. That being said, if you know you dont tolerate gluten I do not recommend adding it back into your diet just to see what happens on a test.
If you are certain that gluten is to blame for your symptoms, I would avoid it no matter what any test says! In my experience, testing does not always have the most valid responses when compared to the gold standard of an elimination diet.
As I often told the patents in my clinic: Your body knows better than any test. If your symptoms disappear when you take gluten out of your diet and return when you add it back in even if you have a negative test result you still have an issue with gluten. So dont eat it
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Complications Related To Diet
Carefully following a gluten free diet is very important for good management of coeliac disease. Long-term complications can occur when a gluten free diet is not followed. These include:
- increased risk of bowel lymphoma
- chronic ill health
The risk of these complications is the same as the rest of the population when a gluten free diet is followed.
How Should I Prepare For This Test
If you are not currently eating gluten regularly , you must add gluten back into your diet for 6-8 weeks before taking the celiac disease screening test. Do not take this test if you are currently following a gluten-free diet, as your results will not be accurate. If you have an allergy to wheat or experience a severe reaction when consuming any volume of gluten, please consult with a physician first.
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How I Test For Gluten Intolerance
Suffering from bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, and skin drier than Death Valley is no fun at all, but are your symptoms caused by gluten intolerance or by something else? In my practice, I have seen hundreds of women suffering from gluten intolerance. In many cases, this intolerance is directly related to an autoimmune disease like hypothyroid Hashimotos .
While effectively treating Hashimotos is a complex process, one of the most important steps is to get gluten intolerance under control. Lets take a closer look at the connection between gluten intolerance and autoimmune conditions, and then Ill show you exactly how I help my clients determine if they have gluten intolerance as well as other food intolerances.
A Special Note About Celiac Disease Testing
One important note to remember: if you are concerned that you may have Celiac Disease, speak with your healthcare provider before introducing gluten into your diet. In the event that you do have Celiac disease, it can be hazardous to your health. Celiac Disease is covered in greater detail in this blog post.
Science Based Amy Myers, MD
Amy Myers, M.D. is a functional medicine physician, trained and certified by The Institute of Functional Medicine. Dr. Myers earned her Doctor of Medicine at the LSU Health Science Center, and completed her Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Dr. Myers retired from her functional medicine clinic, Austin UltraHealth, where she served thousands of patients, to empower those who were failed by conventional medicine. Shes a 2x New York Times bestselling author, and the founder and CEO of the health & lifestyle e-commerce brand, Amy Myers MD®.
Do you experience bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or headaches after eating bread and other products containing wheat, barley, or rye? You could have a gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Fortunately, gluten intolerance testing can help you pinpoint the problem.
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Types Of Celiac Disease Tests
Celiac disease testing frequently involves a combination of tests that are used to look for signs of celiac disease, damage to the small intestine, and difficulty in absorbing nutrients from food. Symptoms determine how to get tested for lactose and gluten intolerance and celiac disease. A doctor decides which tests to prescribe based on a persons risk of having celiac disease and whether they follow a gluten-free diet. Avoiding gluten can affect test results, so doctors typically prefer to do initial testing in people who are currently consuming gluten.
The following sections provide additional information about different types of celiac disease tests.
Diagnostic Tests For Celiac Disease
If you experience digestive symptoms or signs of poor vitamin and nutrient absorption, such as unexplained weight loss, an NYU Langone gastroenterologist can perform diagnostic tests to determine whether celiac disease may be the cause. For adults, doctors typically recommend both blood tests and biopsies, in which tissue samples are examined under a microscope, to confirm the diagnosis.
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Learn More About Food Allergies And Sensitivities From Baptist Health
Its vital to talk with your doctor about the results if you take an at-home food allergy/sensitivity test. Modifying your diet based on the testing companys report alone can cause nutrient deficiencies, so getting accurate medical advice is essential.
If you experience symptoms after eating, contact your Baptist Health physician. They can talk with you about how to identify food sensitivities and order tests for food allergies if appropriate.
You can find a doctor in our online provider directory if you dont already have one.
Next Steps and Useful Resources
