Coeliac blood test

[Budgie5]

Hi there is a blood test the only way to confirm coeliac disease and do you have to eat wheat for two or three weeks beforehand to guarantee accurate diagnosis?

[Cooper27]

The blood test is the first step in diagnosing coeliac disease. If antibodies are high, then you will verify coeliac disease with a gut biopsy. You have to keep eating gluten up to the biopsy.

[Budgie5 in reply to Cooper27]

That’s the thing. I can’t face eating it for six weeks Cos since I excluded it all is so much better and If I have even a slither of birthday cake now I am v poorly. Yet I want the concrete diagnosis to make sense finally of how ill I’ve been for so many years and how it’s caused my redundant colons. Not sure how its impacted my diverticulitis which I’m told is severe.

[Cooper27 in reply to Budgie5]

Unfortunately there's no test that doesn't require you to eat gluten beforehand. You can get a genetic test, which will tell you if you have the gene, but that still doesn't mean you have coeliac disease.

[Budgie5 in reply to Cooper27]

I can't face feeling so ill for that many weeks.

[Cooper27 in reply to Budgie5]

I know, it's unfortunate we aren't more aware of the need to be tested before cutting gluten out of our diets. I've even heard GPs recommending to cut gluten on a trial basis, not realising how hard it is on a coeliac to bring it back in!

Coeliac UK are researching a test that doesn't require you to eat any gluten beforehand, but I believe it's a few years from being a reality.

[Budgie5 in reply to Cooper27]

Yes I wish I hadn’t cut it out cos it’s so severe now if I have even a tiny amount. Thanks for your replies. Very kind of you.

[Alibob1969 in reply to Budgie5]

If its any help, I stopped eating gluten for 6 weeks after diagnosis. I then stuffed my face for 2 weeks before endoscopy and made a point of eating stuff I'll never have again. For example proper Mcdonalds, KFC and Krispy Creme. It worked for me as the consultant said there was no doubt I was coeliac, my Villi 'were as flat as a pancake'.

[Penel]

The advice is to eat gluten for at least six weeks before the test.

coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-dise...

It is possible to have a negative blood test but still have Coeliac disease.

[CATRYNA49]

Blood testing 8 years ago showed that I was Celiac. I have never been scoped, just went by the blood tests ever since.

[SkyeBlue]

The blood test can sometimes be negative (mine was twice) I didn’t even know they were testing for cd, amongst other things. So years down the line I ended up having an endoscopy and biopsy (being fearful of something far worse) and I was diagnosed with cd, following a positive biopsy.

I had not considered cd as a possible cause and I didn’t even know what cd was although I had heard of it. Therefore I had been eating a regular gluten diet up to the point of the biopsy. I believe it is necessary. The longer you can eat gluten for the better as you would not want to go for tests only to get a false negative result... (the blood test can frequently be false negative anyway, biopsy is conclusive for diagnosis). I think GPs are reluctant to refer for endoscopy/biopsy if a blood test is negative though due to funding issues unless they can justify the referral.