Thank you for the response and article. I was placed on the Mediterranean diet and been on that now for about 3 weeks. While not gluten free I am eating very little bread or anything with gluten ie a slice of whole wheat bread every couple days so assume that would cause issues now with a biopsy. With the condition my liver is in I am unsure moving back to higher bread consumption is ideal. In this scenario would my test results be enough to assume positive Celiac and just move forward gluten free?
Welcome to the forum, @MI-Hoosier!
You are operating on a misconception about your "mixed" test results. You only had two celiac disease diagnostic tests run out of six that could have been ordered if your doctor had opted for a complete celiac panel. It is perfectly normal to not test positive for all possible celiac disease diagnostic tests. That is why there is more than one test option. It is the same way with other diagnostic testing procedures for many or most other diseases. Generally, when diagnosing a condition, a number of different tests are run and a diagnosis is arrived at by looking at the total body of evidence. The tTG-IGA test is the centerpiece of celiac disease blood antibody testing and the one most commonly ordered by doctors. You were strongly positive for that test. It was not an unequivocal result.
Having said that, it is standard procedure to confirm a positive celiac disease blood antibody test result with an endoscopy/biopsy which is still considered the gold standard of celiac disease diagnosis. Had your tTG-IGA been 150 or greater, your doctor many have opted out of the endoscopy/biopsy.
The absence of GI distress in the celiac disease population is very common. We call them "silent celiacs". That can change as damage to the lining of the small bowel worsens.
Elevated liver enzymes/liver stress is very common in the celiac population. About 18% of celiacs experience it. I was one of them. Persistently elevated liver enzymes over a period of years in the absence of other typical causes such as hepatitis and alcohol abuse was what eventually led to my celiac disease diagnosis. But it took thirteen years to get that figured out. Within three months of going gluten free my liver enzymes were back into normal range. Thank goodness, there is more awareness these days about the many long fingers of celiac disease that are not found in the classic category of GI distress. Today, there have been over 200 symptoms/medical conditions identified as connected to celiac disease.
It is critical that you not begin a gluten free diet until your endoscopy/biopsy of the small bowel is over. Doing so before that procedure will invalidate it because it will allow healing of the small bowel lining to begin.
Here is a link to an article covering celiac disease blood antibody testing:
Hi, I was recently diagnosed with stage 3 NASH and doctor is concerned something is caused my disease to progress quicker than they would expect. During blood tests a celiac screen was pulled as my mom is a celiac. My ttg was a 49.4 (normal >15) but my endomysial antibody was negative. I have never had gluten symptoms and no issues with bread and am 54. Do I need a biopsy to rule celiac in or out with this mixed test?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Mark, do you have suggestions as to celiac centers that could be helpful? Oklahoma/Texas neurologists have only offered me the “eat gluten free” advice and then when I ask about the hands or muscle twitching they said they just don’t know. I appreciate your great information on supplements, thank you for your help!
Scott, do you have suggestions as to celiac centers that could be helpful? Oklahoma/Texas neurologists have only offered me the “eat gluten free” advice and then when I ask about the hands or muscle twitching they said they just don’t know. I appreciate your great information on supplements, thank you for your help!