A Beginner's Guide to Celiac Disease
The Decision to get Tested
Because of the way that symptoms present with celiac patients, it’s difficult for health care providers to diagnose without prior knowledge that first degree family members have the disease. This contributes to the low diagnostic rates in the United States and it’s estimated that over eighty percent of the celiac population remains undiagnosed. One way for a person to determine if they have a gluten sensitivity is to completely eliminate products that contain gluten from the diet for at least sixty days and then reintroduce it. If your symptoms go away and then reappear after reintroduction, then chances are you have a gluten sensitivity.
The Testing Process
There is no true celiac test, instead physicians will run a series of different tests to determine the likelihood of celiac disease. A doctor may run a panel of the following tests IgA antigliadin antibodies which are usually found in about eighty percent of diagnosed celiac patients, IgG anti-gliadin antibodies, IgG anti-gliadin antibodies, IgA anti-endomysial antibodies, Tissue Transglutaminase antibodies, Total IgA antibodies, Genetic testing with HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8, Intestinal biopsy.
