If antibody tests and/or symptoms suggest celiac disease, a physician should establish the diagnosis by obtaining tiny pieces of tissue from the small intestine to check for damage to the villi. This is done via endoscopic biopsy. Under sedation, the physician eases a long, thin tube called an endoscope through the mouth and stomach into… Read more »
(Updated .)Keyword: false positive
Is it possible to have a positive blood test, but not have celiac disease?
Yes, blood work can be falsely positive, as can any test in medicine, especially at low titers. However, it may be that the biopsy was done or read incorrectly or that there’s not yet enough damage in the small intestine to diagnose celiac disease. A second opinion at a celiac center can help clarify a… Read more »
(Updated .)In blood tests, are false positives less common than false negatives?
Even though blood tests are quite accurate, they are falsely positive 1-3% of the time (i.e., being positive without the person having celiac) and, although less commonly, falsely negative 1-2% of the time (i.e., being normal when a person actually has celiac).
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