TESTING FOR GLUTEN SENSITIVITY OR CELIAC DISEASE
There are gluten allergy/celiac disease tests that are available through Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics. The tests can help identify various forms of allergy or sensitivity to gluten or wheat. They will look for:
We believe any elevation of antibodies is a compelling enough reason to implement a trial of gluten elimination (no infractions). Some doctors consider elevated anti-gliadin antibodies (in the absence of a positive intestinal biopsy showing damage) to be "false positives." Parents are then told not to be concerned over the results.
Our stance? Positive is positive and, as with any illness, there are different levels of severity, from mild gluten sensitivity to full-blown celiac disease. If your child's antibodies are elevated, you should take them off gluten 100% and see if you notice an improvement in their health and behavior.
- IgA anti-gliadin antibodies
- IgG anti-gliadin antibodies
- IgA anti-endomysial antibodies
- Tissue transglutaminase antibody (IgA and IgG in questionable cases)
- Total IgA antibodies
- HLA DQ2 and DQ8 genotyping for celiac disease (used occasionally to detect genetic suspectibility).
- Intestinal biopsy (Is it really necessary if gluten antibodies are positive?)
We believe any elevation of antibodies is a compelling enough reason to implement a trial of gluten elimination (no infractions). Some doctors consider elevated anti-gliadin antibodies (in the absence of a positive intestinal biopsy showing damage) to be "false positives." Parents are then told not to be concerned over the results.
Our stance? Positive is positive and, as with any illness, there are different levels of severity, from mild gluten sensitivity to full-blown celiac disease. If your child's antibodies are elevated, you should take them off gluten 100% and see if you notice an improvement in their health and behavior.
