Hello all , could I please ask .... My daughter and I are having blood tests done on Wednesday , I assume to check our antibodies ?

[narniesangel3]

I read in another post earlier that there bloods had a level of 80 , what does this mean , I have no idea ? Back to my question Is the blood test enough to diagnose celiac or do you have to have an endoscopy after ? Thanks x

[loobylou123]

The blood test gives an indication and on the NHS it takes a minimum of two weeks to get the results, however my husband's blood test came back negative and he had one of the severest cases the consultant had ever seen to the point of organ failure due to starvation and dehydration, the consultant did a biopsy anyway before getting the results of blood test back for obvious reasons. So just because it comes back negative it doesn't mean that you are not intolerant. I think they quite often do the blood test to save on the cost of a biopsy. Hope this helps xxx Depending on the severity of your symptoms dig your heals in and don't be fobbed of.

[Regalbirdy]

Hi narniesangel3

In answer to your question, a coeliac blood result of 80 has a high probability of that person being coeliac - depending on the blood test ranges used in that person's local area.

In my area (and I can only speak from personal experience here), a normal blood test result is 10 and under. At the point of diagnosis, my blood test result was in excess of 129. In my case the haematologists stopped counting at 129 - so from what I could tell, I don't think they knew how far beyond that I actually was; and it made little difference anyhow!

Yes - they are looking for antibodies to the protein gliadin (I think!). It's found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye.

Sometimes a blood test is enough to diagnose coeliac disease. However in the UK, the NHS likes to confirm diagnosis by doing an endoscopy and taking biopsies of the duodenum area of the intestines. They look for damage to the Villi and this then confirms the initial diagnosis.

This is certainly the case for adults, there may be a different protocol in place for children.

You might find NICE guidelines CG86 are a useful read.

As you might have worked out by now, you can be gluten sensitive without being a coeliac. Blood tests won't always show the former. Also the existing blood tests done in the UK are very reliable if you have full-blown coeliac disease, less so if you're in the early stages of it. I'm not trying to worry you unduly, but it's something to bear in mind.

Good luck with your blood tests, I hope you get the answers you need.

[weee]

I was diagnosed with an endoscopy and biopsy, the doctor doing it said he could see my villi were completely flat so told me he was 100% sure I had coeliacs before the results came back. So I had the endoscopy first.

Remember if an endoscopy is ordered you need to have been eating gluten for a time prior to it. I hope all goes well.

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Blood tests for CD are often negative when the biopsy is positive.