“Are there at home tests for celiac disease?”
We believe that my 13-year-old son has celiac disease but we don't want him to have to undergo a biopsy. We just think he's too young to have something so invasive. Are there any at home tests that diagnose celiac disease?
5 Answers
No, there is no home test. Celiac is diagnosed as follows:
First, doctor orders a blood test for antibodies, specifically tissue transglutminase antibody. Second, if the antibody is positive, then an endoscopy with biopsy needs to be done. An upper endoscopy is not a particularly invasive test. It is safe and fast. 13 years old is not too young to have the endoscopy if the antibody is positive. I would say this about my own child. A correct diagnosis for celiac is too important to refuse to do the endoscopy. It is not advised to put anyone on a gluten free diet without clearly establishing the diagnosis.
First, doctor orders a blood test for antibodies, specifically tissue transglutminase antibody. Second, if the antibody is positive, then an endoscopy with biopsy needs to be done. An upper endoscopy is not a particularly invasive test. It is safe and fast. 13 years old is not too young to have the endoscopy if the antibody is positive. I would say this about my own child. A correct diagnosis for celiac is too important to refuse to do the endoscopy. It is not advised to put anyone on a gluten free diet without clearly establishing the diagnosis.
No. However, you can a try gluten-free diet. It might be difficult to do. Discuss with your pediatrician about blood tests.
The standard of care for the diagnosis of celiac disease is small intestinal biopsies.
The only way is to stop feeding him any food that contains gluten and see if symptoms improve however, even that is not diagnostic of celiac disease. The best option is to test the proper way and get him the right diagnosis.
We perform endoscopies in infants regularly, so a 13-year-old is at a very low risk for an endoscopy. There is no home test, and the only gold standard test for celiac disease is an intestinal biopsy. Anyone who tells you differently is not in agreement with the current society recommendations.
Mark R. Corkins, M.D., S.P.R., C.N.S.C., F.A.S.P.E.N., A.G.A.F., F.A.A.P.
Mark R. Corkins, M.D., S.P.R., C.N.S.C., F.A.S.P.E.N., A.G.A.F., F.A.A.P.
