Post by kickingfrog on Jan 18, 2011 10:04:00 GMT
What tests are needed at follow-up appointments? How are they interpreted?
New guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition state that tTG-IgA testing should be used for follow-up care. Interpreting this test result is straightforward—a celiac on the gluten-free diet should have a negative test. The numerical value of the test is not important.
The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center recommends additional testing, because the tTG test can sometimes be inaccurate in people with autoimmune disorders like Type 1 diabetes and thyroid disease. In addition, the tTG can sometimes become negative before a celiac has actually experienced significant healing.
For these reasons, Anti-Gliadin Antibodies (AGA) are also important. There are two types that need to be run: AGA-IgA, and AGA-IgG. In this circumstance, the numerical values of the tests are very important. The numbers should be as close to zero as possible, indicating a minimal antibody response to gluten. The additional advantage of these tests is that the blood can be drawn by any physician and sent to any laboratory….
www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_014189.pdf
New guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition state that tTG-IgA testing should be used for follow-up care. Interpreting this test result is straightforward—a celiac on the gluten-free diet should have a negative test. The numerical value of the test is not important.
The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center recommends additional testing, because the tTG test can sometimes be inaccurate in people with autoimmune disorders like Type 1 diabetes and thyroid disease. In addition, the tTG can sometimes become negative before a celiac has actually experienced significant healing.
For these reasons, Anti-Gliadin Antibodies (AGA) are also important. There are two types that need to be run: AGA-IgA, and AGA-IgG. In this circumstance, the numerical values of the tests are very important. The numbers should be as close to zero as possible, indicating a minimal antibody response to gluten. The additional advantage of these tests is that the blood can be drawn by any physician and sent to any laboratory….
www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_014189.pdf