Unusual high levels

[Nielskii]

Hi all! I hope you guys are doing well. A few weeks ago I started feeling a bit odd in the stomach with some minor cramps here and there. I decided to get my blood tested and I got a score of 573 on the tTG-IgA test! I get that some people have asymptomatic celiac disease but this seems very odd. Is there something I should about this? 

[Scott Adams]

Do you know the reference range for your test? It can be different depending on the lab that processed the test.

In the Europe the new protocol for making a celiac disease diagnosis in children is if their tTg-IgA (tissue transglutaminase IgA) levels are 10 times or above the positive level for celiac disease.

According to the latest research, if the blood test results are at certain high levels that range between 5-10 times the reference range for a positive celiac disease diagnosis, it may not be necessary to confirm the results using an endoscopy/biopsy:

• Blood Test Alone Can Diagnose Celiac Disease in Most Children and Adults
• TGA-IgA at or Above Five Times Normal Limit in Kids Indicates Celiac Disease in Nearly All Cases
• No More Biopsies to Diagnose Celiac Disease in Children!

There are other things that may cause elevated tTg-IgA levels, but in general a reaction to gluten is the culprit:

 

 

[trents]

Check with your doctor to find out if he/she wants to refer you to a GI specialist for an endoscopy/biopsy to confirm the results of the blood antibody testing or whether or not the tTG-IGA levels are high enough to grant a celiac disease diagnosis without further tests being done. If further testing is expected, you need to refrain from starting a gluten free diet or you risk sabotaging the tests.