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: ttg
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 .)Is tTG elevated in persons with non-celiac gluten sensitivity?
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity does not cause any elevation of tTG antibodies in the blood stream.
(Updated .)After going gluten-free, can a positive tTG mean anything other than gluten present in my diet?
tTG normalizes slowly when on a strict gluten-free diet. This process may take years if the starting level is very high. If tTG is still high after a long time, aside from gluten sneaking into one’s diet, this may simply mean, especially with low titers, that it’s falsely elevated—common in patients who have other autoimmune… Read more »
(Updated .)In follow-up blood testing, why would tTG be negative and DGP be positive?
If the slightly positive test is the DGP-IgA, you can disregard this value, as it can be misleading. If the DGP-IgG is positive it probably means you’re ingesting small amounts of gluten, possibly from cross-contamination, which are raising antibodies but not enough to trigger a tTG or a mucosal response. Basically, in either case you… Read more »
(Updated .)How does one rule out other possible causes of the positive tTG blood test?
We rule out other causes of elevated tTG by evaluating the other known possible causes, such as liver diseases or the concomitant presence of other autoimmune disorders.
(Updated .)Is it possible to have a negative blood test, but a positive biopsy?
While rare, it is possible to have a negative blood test and still have celiac disease. tTG sensitivity is approximately 98%, which means that 2% of all celiacs may have a normal tTG level. Sometimes tTG antibodies are not produced enough to show up in the blood stream and can only be detected in the… Read more »
(Updated .)How much exposure to gluten does it take for DGP to become elevated and how long before it will return to normal?
There is no general rule that applies to all, but we learn from each patient. That said, typically DGP are more sensitive to gluten than tTG, so they become elevated before tTG and disappear sooner than tTG once on a gluten-free diet.
(Updated .)How are infants tested for celiac disease?
The tTG test is the same as that for adults, but it only requires about 2-3cc (half a teaspoon) of blood.
(Updated .)What if my tTG test is high, but just below the level that would mandate a biopsy?
It’s important to know what’s going on with your body. In these cases, we still recommend a biopsy to gain a clearer understanding about your health.
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