Celiac Disease

What celiac disease is

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. In genetically predisposed people, eating gluten activates an immune response that inflames the lining of the small intestine and impairs nutrient absorption.

Symptoms vary widely: from diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain to signs outside the gut, such as anemia, tiredness, skin changes, hair loss and low bone density. Some people have few or no symptoms, which makes investigation even more important.

What the test assesses

• Tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody (tTG-IgA), the main screening marker
• Total IgA, to ensure the IgA antibody result is reliable
• Anti-endomysial (EMA) and deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) antibodies, when indicated
• HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genetic typing, useful to rule out the disease

How to prepare

For antibodies to be detected, it is important to keep gluten in your diet until the test. Removing gluten beforehand can lead to a false negative result. That's why a gluten-free diet should only begin after the investigation.

How we use the result

Abnormal results are referred to a gastroenterologist for diagnostic confirmation, who may recommend a biopsy of the small intestine. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, we build a safe, nutritionally complete gluten-free diet without cross-contamination, with attention to healing the intestinal lining and replenishing nutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamin D and B vitamins.