Posted by glutenfr | Posted in News, Science | Posted on 05-03-2010
Tags: gluten sensitivity, scientific developments
My son and I discovered gluten didn’t agree with us at the wrong end of a lengthy elimination diet. It was the last thing we tested for of course because we were pretty sure we could never be sensitive to something so delicious.
My son’s attention problems in class drove us to it and inconveniently, gluten was the only thing that eased the problem. It was an added bonus that the eczema that had plagued me since having children also vanished.
But we have never had any medical tests to confirm our suspicions because the Coeliac tests for gut damage are not applicable to us. However there is an antibody test – though it’s hard to find – that can indicate a sensitivity to gluten.
I am curious about it so I have done a bit of digging and will share my findings here:
What is the test? The IgG-gliadin antibody blood test. There is also an IgA-gliadin antibody test but most gluten sensitive folk test positive to the former.
What does it tell you? It measures your immune reaction – the antibodies you produce – to gliadin, a protein that is part of the gluten molecule. This is different to the blood tests that diagnose Coeliac, the tTG test and a new test called Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP), which both measure gut damage.
Do you need to be eating gluten to have the test? No, but after a few months of being off gluten, the results become progressively less accurate.
Can my GP order it? Non-Coeliac gluten intolerance is not widely acknowledged by the mainstream medical community. Most GPs therefore consider it an outdated test because it does not measure gut damage and is therefore an unreliable indicator of Coeliac disease.
Who does it? Most labs don’t do it anymore for the same reason. You will need to ask around or check out the website of gluten expert Dr Rodney Ford.
Who can interpret it? As most GPs no longer order this test, they are not accustomed to interpreting it so you may have to swat up on the results yourself or, again, consult Dr Ford’s site.
MB
Hi, after a two year health battle with my daughter (14 yrs old) our doctor ordered these blood tests. And a positive result was obtained. Katie has been gluten free now for 2 months and her health and welbeing has improved immensely. I have heard that these blood tests are now readily being done and when we were referred to a specialist he didn’t want to do further biopsies as the blood test was sufficient for a diagnosis.
I’m having lots of fun experiment with gluten free recipes and ideas.
Jill
Wow – sounds like your doctor was on the ball. We were only ever offered the Coeliac blood test which the whole medical community seemed to consider the final word on the whole subject of gluten (until we found a food intolerance specialist paediatrician)