Overview
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder characterized by an inappropriate immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, and related dietary proteins in rye and barley. Celiac disease antibody tests help diagnose and monitor the disease and a few other gluten-sensitive conditions. These tests detect autoantibodies in the blood that the body produces as part of the immune response.
This immune response leads to inflammation of the small intestine and to damage and destruction of the villi that line the intestinal wall. The villi are projections, small tissue folds that increase the surface area of the intestine and allow nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fluids, and electrolytes to be absorbed into the body. When a susceptible person is exposed to gluten, the person's body produces antibodies that act against constituents of the intestinal villi. When villi are damaged or destroyed, the body is much less capable of absorbing food and begins to develop signs and symptoms associated with malnutrition and malabsorption.
A tissue biopsy of the small intestine is still considered the gold standard to use to confirm a diagnosis of celiac disease, but the availability of less invasive blood tests to screen for celiac disease has reduced the number of biopsies needed.
WHEN TO GET TESTED?
When you have symptoms suggesting celiac disease, such as chronic diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, anemia, and weight loss; when an infant is chronically irritable or fails to grow at a normal rate; when a close family member has celiac disease; when you are being treated for celiac disease
- What is meaning of positive endomysial antibody test?
It means that anti-EMA antibodies are found in blood and you have celiac disease
- Is fasting required for celiac panel blood test?
You should be on a normal, gluten containing diet and not fast before getting the test, so that doctor is able to properly diagnose celiac disease
- What happens in celiac attack?
It is characterized by damage to small intestine. Its symptoms include repeated belly pain/bloating, chronic diarrhea, constipation, excessive intestinal gas, weight loss, pale/foul smelling/fatty stool, & mouth ulcers.
- How much gluten should I eat before getting celiac blood test?
Recommended gluten intake is two slices of wheat-based bread per day for 6 to 8 weeks.
- In celiac disease, is IgA high or low?
There are only about 3% people with celiac disease and IgA deficiency both. So, if serum IgA tTG result comes negative and there is strong suspicion of disease, then serum total IgA levels are measured.
- Negative: No anti-EMA antibodies found, that means patient doesn’t have celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis or patient is strongly adhering to gluten-free diet
- Positive: IgG-endomysial antibodies (EMA) found in IgA deficient individuals, patient has celiac disease/dermatitis herpetiformis. Its titer (concentration) in blood correlates with severity of gluten-sensitive enteropathy (disease of intestine).
If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease and you eliminate gluten from your diet, then the autoantibody levels should fall. If they do not fall and the symptoms do not diminish, then there may either be hidden forms of gluten in the diet that have not been eliminated
You get tested to diagnose a condition called celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis & evaluate effectiveness of gluten-free diet. Helpful in case of IgA antibody deficiency individuals.
