No, you should have both the tTG-IgA and total serum IgA tests to screen for celiac disease. As long as you produce IgA (total serum IgA confirms you do), tTG-IgA is 98% accurate in measuring elevated antibodies. If you’re IgA deficient, or if there is some other equivocating factor to potentially compromise the blood test,… Read more »
(Updated .)Keyword: ema
What are the chances of having a high tTG and a negative biopsy—even though I have a child who was biopsy-diagnosed with celiac—and still being negative for the disease?
It’s possible to be truly negative with these facts, especially if the tTG are only mildly elevated. Also check the more specific EMA test. If it’s positive, we would conclude you’re a potential celiac, which means the disease is simply waiting to explode, and we’d suggest a gluten-free diet.
(Updated .)What is an EMA blood test?
The anti-endomysial antibody test (EMAIgA), EMA-IgA, is very specific for celiac disease. It’s estimated that a person with an elevated titer of EMA is almost assured of having celiac disease. However, the EMA test isn’t as sensitive as the tTG-IgA test; about 5-10% of celiacs do not have a positive EMA test.
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