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Good Iga, Low Iga-Aga And Low Iga-Ttg

Lt. Dan

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Lt. Dan Newbie
Lt. Dan
Posted

Hi Folks,

Just came across your board as I am trying to figure out if my Doctor is doing his homework right.

First, my symptoms...fatigue, exhaustion (mental and physical), depression, muscle aches, poor recovery from exercise, brain fog, loss of memory, irritable bowel (alternate between constipation and diarhea), flatulence, very slow to heal from injury, past problems with multiple sinus infections per year, insomniac.

I am an otherwise healthy, active 52 year old guy.

My brain fog, exhastion, depression symptoms have been building up over the years to the point I am out of gas. I have done a bunch of adrenal and thyroid tests with all being negative. I'm on the low end of the scale for vitamin B12 but otherwise pretty well nourished.

My Mom was Celiac Sprue (big time) and therefore I started to research it and found that I have many of the symptoms. This kind of gave me hope that maybe I might find something there. I told my Doctor about the Celiac Blood Panel test and he ordered it up but I fear that he doesn't know how to interpret it.

Here are my results as I understand them:

Immunoglobulin A = 344 (Reference Range: 68 to 378)

Gliadin Peptide Ab, IgA = 1 (Reference Interval: 19 units or less Negative)

Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody (tTG), IgA = 5 (19 units or less Negative)

By my reading, I am pretty solid on the Negative, right? I mean an upper range Immunoglobulin is not a bad thing, is it? From my reading here on the board it just means that the other tests should not be false negatives. I am right?

My Doctor circled the "high" Immunoglobulin A as a possible marker and recommended that I get a biopsy. I am currently unemployed and without good major medical so I don't want to pay for one out of pocket if not needed.

What do you all think? Is my Doctor barking up the wrong tree?

Note: I have stopped all Gluten AND Milk for the last week and am starting to feel a bit better - - even had a couple of moments yesterday where the "brain fog" completely lifted and I could think clearly and effortlessly for the first times in years.

Maybe its the Milk Protein (Casein) and not the Gluten....

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

If your mother was celiac with your symptoms chances are real good you are also. There is a high rate of false negatives in blood tests as well as biopsy. If your not planning on having the biopsy done then keep on the diet as it does seem to be helping. The area in your intestines that helps to make the enzyme that digests milk is the same area that is damaged with celiac. You may find you are able to digest milk products again after you have healed a bit more.

Welcome to the board and do ask any questions you need to. Going with a whole foods unprocessed diet will speed the healing along. You also should supplement the B12 with a sublingual for a bit as that will help with the brain fog and the fatigue. The cut off for low is really low and if your under 500 you really should be supplementing as it takes a while for the B12 deficiency to show on the blood work.

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

wow... i usually agree with everything ravenwood says...

your iga # is good- it just means that your immune system is working up to par.

false negatives do happen yes... also you should get your EMA tested. my antigliadin was negative twice. my TTG was WEAK positive, but my EMA was positive.

even then- if you still get negative numbers all around... if you feel better Gluten Free- then that is your biggest proof- our bodies often tell us more than the doctors do

plus- if your mom is Celiac- i would bet a million bucks you're at least Gluten Sensitive

Lt. Dan Newbie
Lt. Dan
Posted
  • Author

also you should get your EMA tested. my antigliadin was negative twice. my TTG was WEAK positive, but my EMA was positive.

Thanks for the help. What is EMA?

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

Thanks for the help. What is EMA?

LIEUTENANT DAN!!!?????!! Lol

Endomysial Antibodies

nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

Your ttg test had a number , it was not 0. This could be a clue. You need much damage to your intestines for the ttg to bepositive, and many labs have a very high cutoff for the ttg test.

There was an article here on celiac.com where researchers sent blood from diagnosed celiacs to many different labs, and several labs could only find half of them, and some found 80-90% of them. With the ttg test.

If you want to persue this further, you can get the gene test from enterolab.com , and the stool test, as it is more sensitive, and designed to be more sensitive. But they cannot diagnose celiac, for that the tests are too sensitive. They are designed to pick up gluten sensitivity early, and milk and soy inolerance I think.

You order the tests privately, without doctor, so this might prove less expensive than the biopsy, if you want to avoid the biopsy.

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

ya, my ttg was only 6, i think...

im iga deficient, but my ttg igg was low too.

and also, i cannot answer knowledgeably as to why the labs all have different cut offs- but i CAN tell you that my PCP, and GI tested me- and both those lab result cut offs had my "6" at a "weak positive"

luckily, my PCP ordered the EMA. i dont know why my GI didnt do that.?? and that was positive

both my docs would not diagnose me with those results (even tho my EMA was positive- which is 100% specific to Celiac). my insurance wouldnt cover the endoscopy.

2 years later- i revisited those results and studied them, and ordered the gene test thru enterolab. im so glad i did- cause my genes were one more piece to the puzzle, and enough motivation to make me go 100% Gluten Free regardless. and about a week into going Gluten Free- i got a small patch of DH on my stomach.

so that just goes to prove to you that these "inconclusive" test results are not the end all be all. you have to be your own patient advocate untill you get to what works for you

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Lt. Dan Newbie
Lt. Dan
Posted
  • Author

about a week into going Gluten Free- i got a small patch of DH on my stomach.

DH?

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

DH?

Dermatitis herpetiformis, the skin condition associated with celiac disease.

nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

yes, if you have DH that is diagnostic for celiac. Lots of people are not aware of that. And on DH forums some people do not think one needs to go gluten free with DH. They are wrong.

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

yes, if you have DH that is diagnostic for celiac. Lots of people are not aware of that. And on DH forums some people do not think one needs to go gluten free with DH. They are wrong.

really???? lordy, people are silly

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    • Scott Adams
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      Elevated tissue transglutaminase IgA (tTG-IgA) levels are highly specific for celiac disease, and they are a key biomarker used in its diagnosis. However, there are some rare instances where elevated tTG-IgA levels have been reported in conditions other than celiac disease. While these cases are not common, they have been documented in the literature. Below are some examples and references to studies or reviews that discuss these scenarios:  1. Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS)    - NCGS typically does not cause elevated tTG-IgA levels, as it is not an autoimmune condition. However, some individuals with NCGS may have mild elevations in tTG-IgA due to intestinal inflammation or other factors, though this is not well-documented in large studies.    - Reference: Catassi, C., et al. (2013). *Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The New Frontier of Gluten-Related Disorders*. Nutrients, 5(10), 3839–3853. [DOI:10.3390/nu5103839](https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5103839)  2. Autoimmune Diseases    - Elevated tTG-IgA levels have been reported in other autoimmune conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, autoimmune hepatitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This is thought to be due to cross-reactivity or polyautoimmunity.    - Reference: Sblattero, D., et al. (2000). *The Role of Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase in the Diagnosis and Management of Celiac Disease*. Autoimmunity Reviews, 1(3), 129–135. [DOI:10.1016/S1568-9972(01)00022-3](https://doi.org/10.1016/S1568-9972(01)00022-3)  3. Chronic Liver Disease    - Conditions like chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis can sometimes lead to elevated tTG-IgA levels, possibly due to increased intestinal permeability or immune dysregulation.    - Reference: Vecchi, M., et al. (2003). *High Prevalence of Celiac Disease in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: A Role for Gluten-Free Diet?* Gastroenterology, 125(5), 1522–1523. [DOI:10.1016/j.gastro.2003.08.031](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gastro.2003.08.031)  4. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)    - Some patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis may have elevated tTG-IgA levels due to intestinal inflammation and damage, though this is not common.    - Reference: Walker-Smith, J. A., et al. (1990). *Celiac Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease*. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 10(3), 389–391. [DOI:10.1097/00005176-199004000-00020](https://doi.org/10.1097/00005176-199004000-00020)  5. Infections and Parasites    - While infections (e.g., giardiasis) are more commonly associated with false-positive tTG-IgA results, chronic infections or parasitic infestations can sometimes lead to elevated levels due to mucosal damage.    - Reference: Rostami, K., et al. (1999). *The Role of Infections in Celiac Disease*. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 11(11), 1255–1258. [DOI:10.1097/00042737-199911000-00010](https://doi.org/10.1097/00042737-199911000-00010)  6. Cardiac Conditions    - Rarely, heart failure or severe cardiovascular disease has been associated with elevated tTG-IgA levels, possibly due to gut ischemia and increased intestinal permeability.    - Reference: Ludvigsson, J. F., et al. (2007). *Celiac Disease and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study*. American Heart Journal, 153(6), 972–976. [DOI:10.1016/j.ahj.2007.03.019](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2007.03.019)  Key Points: - Elevated tTG-IgA levels are highly specific for celiac disease, and in most cases, a positive result strongly suggests celiac disease. - Other conditions causing elevated tTG-IgA are rare and often accompanied by additional clinical findings. - If celiac disease is suspected, further testing (e.g., endoscopy with biopsy) is typically required for confirmation. If you’re looking for more specific studies, I recommend searching PubMed or other medical databases using terms like "elevated tTG-IgA non-celiac" or "tTG-IgA in non-celiac conditions." Let me know if you’d like help with that!
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    • Jack Common
      How many grams is there in one slice of wheat bread?

      By Jack Common · Posted

      Hello! I want to share my situation. I had symptoms like some food intolerance, diarrhea, bloating, belching one year ago. I thought I could have celiac disease so I did the blood tests. The results were ambiguous for me so I saw the doctor and he said I needed to do tests to check whether I had any parasites as well. It turned out I had giardiasis. After treating it my symptoms didn't disappear immediately. And I decided to start a gluten free diet despite my doctor said I didn't have it. After some time symptoms disappeared but that time it wasn't unclear whether I'd had them because of eliminating gluten or that parasite. The symptoms for both are very similar. Giardiasis also damages the small intestine. The only way to check this was to start eating bread again as I thought. Now about my results.   These are my first test results (almost a year ago) when I had symptoms: The Tissue Transglutaminase IgA antibody - 0.5 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests 0.0 - 3.0 is normal) The Tissue Transglutaminase IgG antibody - 6.6 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests 0.0 - 3.0 is normal) Immunoglobulin A - 1.91 g/l (for the lab I did the tests 0.7 to 4 g/l is normal) IgA Endomysial antibody (EMA) - < 1:10 titer (for the lab I did the tests < 1:10 titer is normal) IgG Endomysial antibody (EMA) - < 1:10 titer (for the lab I did the tests < 1:10 titer is normal) Deamidated gliadin peptide IgA - 0.3 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests 0.0 - 6.0 is normal) Deamidated gliadin peptide IgG - 46.1 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests 0.0 - 6.0 is normal)   Then I didn't eat gluten for six months. Symptoms disappeared. And I started a gluten challenge. Before the challenge I did some tests. My results: The Tissue Transglutaminase IgG antibody - 0.5 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal)) Deamidated gliadin peptide IgG - 28 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal)   During the challenge I ate 6 slices of wheat bread. After the challenge my results are: The Tissue Transglutaminase IgA antibody - 2.0 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal) The Tissue Transglutaminase IgG antibody - 2.0 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal) Immunoglobulin A - 1.31 g/l (for the lab I did the tests 0.7 to 4 g/l is normal) Deamidated gliadin peptide IgA - 2.0 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal) Deamidated gliadin peptide IgG - 2.13 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal)   To be sure I continued consuming gluten. I ate a lot each day. Two months after I did the tests again. My results I got today are: The Tissue Transglutaminase IgA antibody - 0.7 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal) Immunoglobulin A - 1.62 g/l (for the lab I did the tests 0.7 to 4 g/l is normal) Deamidated gliadin peptide IgG - 25.6 U/ml (for the lab I did the tests < 20 U/ml is normal)   Nowadays I didn't have any symptoms except tiredness but I think it's just work. I think it was this parasite because two years ago, for example, and before I didn't have these symptoms and I always ate gluten food. But I'm still not sure especially because the Deamidated gliadin peptide IgG results are sometimes high. What do you think? @Scott Adams
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