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Canadian Lab Doing Genetic Testing?


MurrayM

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MurrayM Rookie

Hi there,

Does anybody know if there's a lab in Canada doing genetic testing to see if a person is vulnerable to develop Celiac Disease? I'm in BC.

Thanks,

Murray


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Felidae Enthusiast

I haven't heard of any. But, maybe someone else knows of one.

Michi8 Contributor

Yes, you can get genetic testing done in Canada. Not sure how many labs do it though...and the testing is expensive, so you may find a doctor is reluctant to make a request for it without a good reason to do so (ie, if no one in your family has previously been diagnosed with celiac, then genetic testing would not be ordered for you.) Of course, YMMV, so you may find a doctor willing to back you up on it.

Michelle

MurrayM Rookie
...and the testing is expensive, so you may find a doctor is reluctant to make a request for it...

Hi Michelle,

Yes, that's what happened. He's almost 100% sure I'm Celiac based on the description of my symptoms, and how they went away after going gluten free.

What I can't figure out is, in this case, having a USD $150.00(ish) genetic test is far cheaper than having me on a gluten challenge, then having me in a hospital day surgery suite, with a surgeon and a nurse, getting an endoscopy done, then having a medical lab process the biopsy. Weird crazyness!!???!!

I've been gluten free for several years now so I'm not too crazy about how 'crappy' my life will be back on gluten for over a month. I do want to find out for sure though as it really impacts our lives, and I have a 5 year old daughter who should know to watch out for this in the future.

Murray

Michi8 Contributor
What I can't figure out is, in this case, having a USD $150.00(ish) genetic test is far cheaper than having me on a gluten challenge, then having me in a hospital day surgery suite, with a surgeon and a nurse, getting an endoscopy done, then having a medical lab process the biopsy. Weird crazyness!!???!!

Except that there is value in endoscopy beyond doing a biopsy for celiac. Visual inspection of the stomach & duodenum may give clues to other issues that are impacting your health, and can guide the doctor in proper treatment. A genetic test, however, may not give you the answers you want...especially if there is a celiac or gluten intolerant gene at play that hasn't yet been "discovered" through research.

Michelle

MurrayM Rookie
Except that there is value in endoscopy beyond doing a biopsy for celiac. Visual inspection of the stomach & duodenum may give clues to other issues that are impacting your health, and can guide the doctor in proper treatment. A genetic test, however, may not give you the answers you want...especially if there is a celiac or gluten intolerant gene at play that hasn't yet been "discovered" through research.

Thanks Michelle, you've raised a couple really good points there. I'll have to look into things further and see if the positives of endoscopy outweigh the negatives of a gluten challenge. I want to feel convinced I'm doing the right thing before putting my body through all that grief.

I'm a letter carrier, so all those trips to the bathroom while I'm sorting mail in the morning to 'completely drain the system' before walking my route is a royal pain!!!

Although...hmmm...pizza and beer for the hockey playoffs?

Murray

aikiducky Apprentice

On the other hand you should be aware that if you've been gluten free for several years, it might take much much longer than a month to see any damage in the intestines, so all you might end up doing is making yourself sick and still get a negative diagnosis.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, but be aware of all the pros and cons.

Pauliina


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2kids4me Contributor

There is a genetics lab at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and a genetics clinic at Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary. Although the lab is based at a Children's hospital - they do genetic testing on any age. You need a referral - you can check with your doctor and discuss why you would prefer it over endoscopy or gluten challenge etc.

Michi8 made excellent points about genetic testing and not to rely soley on those results.

Sandy

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    • trents
      Keep us posted and let us know the results of the biopsy. Your case is atypical in a way in that you have this high DGP-IGA but normal TTG-IGA so knowing how it turns out will give us more data for similar situations that may be posted in the future. 
    • Skg414228
      Fair enough! I very easily could have misread somewhere. Celiac is very confusing lol but I should know in a little over a month what the final verdict is. Just thought chatting with people smarter than myself would get me in the right mindset. I just thought that DGP IGA was pretty high compared to some stuff I had seen and figured someone on here would be more willing to say it is more than likely celiac instead of my doctor who is trying to be less direct. She did finally say she believes it is celiac but wanted to confirm with the biopsy. I did figure it wouldn't hurt seeing what other people said too just because not all doctors are the best. I think mine is actually pretty good from what I have seen but I don't know what I don't know lol. Sorry lot of rambling here just trying to get every thought out. Thanks again!
    • Scott Adams
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    • trents
      No, you don't necessarily need multiple testing methods to confirm celiac disease. There is an increasing trend for celiac diagnoses to be made on a single very high tTG-IGA test score. This started in the UK during the COVID pandemic when there was extreme stress on the healthcare system there and it is spreading to the US. A tTG-IGA score of somewhere between 5x and 10x normal is good enough by itself for some physicians to declare celiac disease. And mind you, that is the tTG-IGA, not the DGP-IGA. The tTG-IGA is the centerpiece of celiac antibody testing, the one test most commonly ordered and the one that physicians have the most confidence in. But in the US, many physicians still insist on a biopsy, even in the event of high tTG-IGA scores. Correct, the biopsy is considered "confirmation" of the blood antibody testing. But what is the need for confirmation of a testing methodology if the testing methodology is fool proof? As for the contribution of genetic testing for celiac disease, it cannot be used to diagnose celiac disease since 40% of the general population has the genetic potential to develop celiac disease while only 1% of the general population actually develops celiac disease. But it can be used to rule out celiac disease. That is, if you don't have the genes, you don't have celiac disease but you might have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • Skg414228
      Okay yeah that helps! To answer your last bit my understanding was that you need to have multiple tests to confirm celiac. Blood, biopsy, dna, and then I think symptoms is another one. Either way I think everything has to be confirmed with the biopsy because that is the gold standard for testing (Doctors words). You also answered another question I forgot to ask about which is does a high value push to a higher % on those scales. I truly appreciate your answers though and just like hearing what other people think. Digging into forums and google for similar stuff has been tough. So thank you again!
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