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March 2, 2006

Celiac

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Question from Lawton, Michigan, USA:

Is it possible to have celiac disease without testing positive for the antibodies? I am 29 years old and have many symptoms of celiac, but I tested negative for the antibodies.

A little history: my sister was diagnosed with celiac when she was 18 months old; my mom was diagnosed when she was 40. My mom is also a type 1 diabetic and my son has been a type 1 diabetic since he was nine months old. Also, I have hypothyroid and have found through the Trial Net study that I tested very very high for type 1 antibodies, though I do not have diabetes (yet).

I am just very concerned that I have celiac because I have most of the symptoms that my mom had when she was diagnosed. But, since I don’t have the antibodies for celiac my doctor says I’m fine. I do have an appointment with a specialist in a few weeks to see what he says. What is your opinion?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

Most blood tests for antibodies for celiac disease employ several different antibodies. There is additional sensitivity in using a panel, compared to any one individual antibody test. Make sure your doctor thinks you had the most sensitive antibody tests available. Some are better than others. Confirmation of the diagnosis is by small bowel biopsy through an endoscopy. Your doctor can test you for other signs of malabsorption.

JTL