Testing Methods

Blood Testing

Blood testing tends to be the most common test people receive. Unfortunately, this does not seem to the best accurate or practical. A lot of people with Celiac disease have reported that they test negative when further testing reveals they had it all along. When receiving a blood test the patient has his or her blood drawn and it is then tested for anti-endomysial antibodies and anti-gliadin antibodies. If you haven't ingested gluten in a relatively long time, it also reduces the accuracy of this test. If you test positive you will likely be advised by your doctor or gastroenterologist to receive a biopsy of your small intestine.

Intestinal Endoscopy

This test usually follows a positive blood test for antibodies. The patient is given drugs to ease any discomfort they might experience while a tube is fed down the throat, through the stomach and into the intestines where small samples of intestinal tissue are taken. The samples are then examined to look for flattened villi. This is considered solid evidence to most doctors and gastroenterologists that a patient has Celiac disease and should be following a gluten free diet. However, if you don't want to resort to a blood test (which can come back negative anyway) and/or a biopsy, there's another method available.

Genetic Testing

Genetic testing does NOT diagnose Celiac disease. Keep this in mind. Genetic tests are available through a variety of different companies. There's a short list at the bottom of this page to get you started if you're interested in receiving one. Genetic testing can be expensive, but (in some cases) it eliminates the need for a doctor to be involved and it spares you from a blood test + intestinal biopsy. A genetic test tests for the genes HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8. If you have these, you are at risk, but do not necessarily have Celiac disease. If you receive a test and test positive, you can attempt a gluten free diet and observe the results. If you feel better and symptoms start to disappear or reduce drastically in severity, it is probably safe to say you have Celiac disease, but this is obviously not a concrete diagnosis. If you don't want a blood test, biopsy or genetic test, take a shot at a gluten free diet and see how you feel, if you feel better continue the diet, you've got nothing to lose.

Labs/Companies offering genetic tests (Click the name to visit their site) :

• Kimball Genetics - Around $400 Requires doctor
• Enterolabs - $149 No doctor required

Important! Enterolabs is considered a controversial company to go through since they don't require a doctor. They are not recognized by the medical community.

Think we left something out that we shouldn't have?

If you have something you'd like to include in this article contact us here.