aklap
02-10-2007, 04:29 AM
Doctors will usually start with a set of blood tests called a Celiac Panel that should consist of the tests below. If the panel does not include all tests, you may not get the entire picture.
Please request your doctor to run ALL of these tests. Not all Doctors will know about Celiac Disease (CD) and may be unfamiliar with proper testing. This is where educating yourself becomes important.
You must be consuming gluten in order for these tests to be as accurate as they can be. Do not go gluten free (GF) before these tests are done.
If the blood tests come back positive, they may want to scope you to check for intestinal damage (the gold standard for Celiac diagnosis).
A complete Celiac Blood Panel:
Antigliadin IgA and IgG*
May indicate Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1417&p_catid=&sid=91hH9H1jiMYsE95-48107483107.80)
Anti-tissue Transglutaminase Antibody (tTG), IgA and/or anti-endomysial
An indicator of villi damage [slight damage is not always detected].
These tests are highly specific to CD.
However, autoimmune diseases can skew the results of these tests (http://www.celiacdisease.net/Default.aspx?tabid=85#appointments)
Total serum IgA
Rules out IgA deficiency. This must be run to ensure proper IgA test results
Anti-reticulin IgA
Rarely used but, a very thorough doctor will include this
More on Diagnostic Testing (http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/diagnostictesting) can be found in the The Gluten File (http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/)
Clan Thompson's Testing and their Results (http://www.clanthompson.com/exp_doctor_showqs.php3?category=Tests%20and%20Thei r%20Results&category_id=4)
Prometheus Labs CeliaPlus (http://www.prometheuslabs.com/wwp/pdf/Diagnostic_Services.pdf). Prometheus Labs is a respected and well known lab for processing Celiac Blood Panels.
Gluten Intolerance Group - Celiac Disease Diagnosis (http://www.gluten.net/celiac.htm#diagnosis)
American Celiac Disease Alliance - Diagnosis (http://americanceliac.org/diagnosis.htm)
*The Antigliadin IgA and IgG tests have fallen out of favor due to the lack of specificity [other medical issues can be the cause of these antibodies]. However, some organizations and Doctors do feel these tests are of importance and still include them in their panel of tests. Gluten maybe an issue, and should be investigated a bit further. These tests ARE included in followup testing to determine dietary compliance, so there is value to them.
Please request your doctor to run ALL of these tests. Not all Doctors will know about Celiac Disease (CD) and may be unfamiliar with proper testing. This is where educating yourself becomes important.
You must be consuming gluten in order for these tests to be as accurate as they can be. Do not go gluten free (GF) before these tests are done.
If the blood tests come back positive, they may want to scope you to check for intestinal damage (the gold standard for Celiac diagnosis).
A complete Celiac Blood Panel:
Antigliadin IgA and IgG*
May indicate Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1417&p_catid=&sid=91hH9H1jiMYsE95-48107483107.80)
Anti-tissue Transglutaminase Antibody (tTG), IgA and/or anti-endomysial
An indicator of villi damage [slight damage is not always detected].
These tests are highly specific to CD.
However, autoimmune diseases can skew the results of these tests (http://www.celiacdisease.net/Default.aspx?tabid=85#appointments)
Total serum IgA
Rules out IgA deficiency. This must be run to ensure proper IgA test results
Anti-reticulin IgA
Rarely used but, a very thorough doctor will include this
More on Diagnostic Testing (http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/diagnostictesting) can be found in the The Gluten File (http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/)
Clan Thompson's Testing and their Results (http://www.clanthompson.com/exp_doctor_showqs.php3?category=Tests%20and%20Thei r%20Results&category_id=4)
Prometheus Labs CeliaPlus (http://www.prometheuslabs.com/wwp/pdf/Diagnostic_Services.pdf). Prometheus Labs is a respected and well known lab for processing Celiac Blood Panels.
Gluten Intolerance Group - Celiac Disease Diagnosis (http://www.gluten.net/celiac.htm#diagnosis)
American Celiac Disease Alliance - Diagnosis (http://americanceliac.org/diagnosis.htm)
*The Antigliadin IgA and IgG tests have fallen out of favor due to the lack of specificity [other medical issues can be the cause of these antibodies]. However, some organizations and Doctors do feel these tests are of importance and still include them in their panel of tests. Gluten maybe an issue, and should be investigated a bit further. These tests ARE included in followup testing to determine dietary compliance, so there is value to them.