Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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

Tests...


CJS

Recommended Posts

CJS Rookie

Are there any tests that are accurate for Celiacs or GI if you are on a gluten free diet? The only two that I am aware of are the IgG blood test & the endoscopy. I was told that I needed gluten in my diet for 4 - 6 wks, 3x's/day before the either of the tests would be valid. Is there any other way?

CJS


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Lisa Mentor
Are there any tests that are accurate for Celiacs or GI if you are on a gluten free diet? The only two that I am aware of are the IgG blood test & the endoscopy. I was told that I needed gluten in my diet for 4 - 6 wks, 3x's/day before the either of the tests would be valid. Is there any other way?

CJS

As you must be aware there are three ways to diagnose Celiac Disease:

1. IgA Blood Panel

2. Endoscopy/biopsy

3. Possitive Dietary Response.

The blood test is not accurate for those who are still on the gluten free diet. The endoscopy and biopsy can be hit or miss. The dietary response is a diagnosis in itself.

Four to six weeks on a gluten diet is perhaps the minimun exposure and even that cannot insure total accuracy.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

You could also go with Enterolab. They test for antibodies and the tests can be done up to a year after you stop consuming the toxin. They do not diagnose celiac but they can tell you if your body is forming antibodies to gluten. IMHO that is diagnostic, you wouldn't be forming antibodies if your body wasn't seeing gluten as something it doesn't want.

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular
As you must be aware there are three ways to diagnose Celiac Disease:

1. IgA Blood Panel

2. Endoscopy/biopsy

3. Possitive Dietary Response.

The blood test is not accurate for those who are still on the gluten free diet. The endoscopy and biopsy can be hit or miss. The dietary response is a diagnosis in itself.

Four to six weeks on a gluten diet is perhaps the minimun exposure and even that cannot insure total accuracy.

In addition to being hit or miss, the endoscopy/biopsy would also be a guaranteed negative for celiac if you are gluten-free (unless you have refractory sprue). In celiacs, the gut heals on the gluten-free diet, so an endoscopy/biopsy would reveal--nothing!

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,996
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    J Marie
    Newest Member
    J Marie
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.5k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @Pasballard, Keep in mind those gluten free processed snacks are not required to have vitamins and minerals added to them to replace vitamins lost in processing like gluten containing products.   We need the eight essential B vitamins to turn those carbs into energy to fuel our bodies and make enzymes that sustain life.  Sudden weight gain (or weight loss) can be symptomatic of Thiamine Vitamin B1 deficiency.  Thiamine is the B vitamin with the shortest storage time, and so  thiamine deficiency shows up first with vague symptoms like weight gain or loss, fatigue, not sleeping well, achy or cramping muscles, digestive issues and headaches.   Taking vitamin and mineral supplements helps boost your body's ability to absorb these nutrients which keeps our bodies healthy.  B Complex vitamins and Vitamin D (which regulates inflammation) are usually low in people with Celiac disease.  Talk to your doctor and nutritionist about supplementing.
    • knitty kitty
      Welcome to the forum, @WildFlower1, Here's an article that explains about the updated gluten challenge guidelines.  Be sure to read the comments below the article. Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?  Low iron can affect antibody production, causing false negatives on antibody testing.  Do you currently struggle with low iron?   Low Vitamin D can cause amenorrhea, cessation of menstrual periods.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies is a big part of Celiac disease.  We don't absorb well the eight essential B vitamins and other vitamins and minerals like calcium, resulting in osteopenia, hair loss, infertility, and neurological symptoms.  Unfortunately, doctors are not given much training in nutritional deficiencies and don't recognize the connection with the malabsorption of Celiac disease. We get very frustrated here with doctors ordering us to put a harmful substance in our bodies in order for them to say "that makes you sick".   Duh, we know that already. Do try to increase your consumption of gluten for at least two weeks before retesting.  Eat the chewy kinds of breads.  Cookies and cakes don't have as much gluten in them as those chewy artisan breads and thick pizza crusts. I admire your tenacity at continuing the gluten challenge.  Do keep us posted on your progress.  We'll continue to support you on your journey to diagnosis and recovery.
    • trents
      I would continue with your gluten challenge for another 2-3 weeks with the increased intake of gluten as outlined above.  You now say if you were confirmed to have celiac disease you would be even more strict about avoiding cross-contamination whereas in your first post you said, "Previously for many years 10+ I have been on a strict gluten free diet." Those statements seem to contradict one another. The celiac community as a whole understands that to be "on a strict gluten free diet" necessarily involves significant attention to cross-contamination. If you have not been strict with regard to CC up to now, it is difficult to say how that may have compromised your recovery and contributed to ongoing symptoms. Yet, even a significant reduction that falls short of gluten free can yield negative test results.
    • WildFlower1
      Thanks for your response! Yes, you’re correct that many of my symptoms improved when I went gluten-free, but issues like bone loss, infertility, hair loss, etc., seem to be the ones that haven’t responded. I’ve been on the gluten challenge for almost 7 weeks now, and I’m wondering how long I should continue it before testing again and making a final decision. I understand the benefits of eating gluten-free long-term, but I’m unsure how much longer to stick with the challenge to avoid another false negative celiac blood test.   What I would do differently if the test were confirmed positive is I’d receive a small amount of government help with gluten-free foods as a confirmed celiac. Doctors would be able to rule out further exhaustive testing. I’d also become even more strict about avoiding cross-contamination (for example, when eating at someone’s house, they may say something is safe, but it could have been cross-contaminated with gluten, or when going out to restaurants, they might say it’s fine, but it really isn’t). So, I would be extremely strict with cross-contamination if I were 100% confirmed as celiac, even though I’ve tried to be over the years but still seem to get sick.   Any advice on how long is typically recommended to continue the gluten challenge to avoid a false negative on the celiac blood test would be greatly appreciated!
    • trents
      Okay, it does make sense to continue the gluten challenge as long as you are already in the middle of it. But what will change if you rule it out? I mean, you have concluded that whatever label you want to give the condition, many of your symptoms improved when you went gluten free. Am I correct in that? According to how I understand your posting, the only symptom that hasn't responded to gluten free eating is the bone demineralization. Did I misunderstand? And if you do test positive, what will you do different than you are doing now? You have already been doing for years the main thing you should be doing and that is eating gluten free. Concerning how long you should stay on the gluten challenge, how many weeks are you into it already?
×
×
  • Create New...