Posted by mikel on May 7, 2002, at 14:20:24
In reply to Re: celiac disease and depression., posted by Lia Mason on May 6, 2002, at 23:54:58
> This fascinates me...
>
> I was told that I have allergies to wheat, yeast, and corn. Do you know what kind of testing you had? Mine was something called Igg which I have since heard is unreliable. I was tested because I have fatigue and pain (in addition to depression).
>
> I went gluten free for 6 weeks and didn't improve, but--like I said--I think I may have had an iffy test. I'd love to know how you were diagnosed.
>Lia, I was diagnosed by an antibody screen and a genetic marker. The genetic marker
I found out as a volunteer for a research project. It is not common to do this test,
but as a "bonus" of participating in this project, I found out that I was positive for
a protien called DQ2, which they now know is present in 95% of all
celiacs (but also 20% of the non-celiac population). I also found out that one of my 1st
cousins had celiac. So I decided to ask my doctor to test for the antibodies.
The IgG you refer to above is a class of antibody (antibodies come
in 4 "flavors"- IgG,IgA,IgM and IgE). When they test for antibodies they are testing
for the specific protein that the antibodies are attacking. In the case of
celiac they are protiens of your intestinal lining. The antibodies used are anti-gliadin, anti-reticulin,
and anti-transglutaminase. Your body makes IgG versions and IgA versions of these
antibodies, and in the case of celiac, the IgA is generally
more specific for celiac. I was strongly positive for both Gliadin and Transglutaminase
IgA antibodies, which together are essentially 100% specific for Celiac disease. Many doctors
will tell you you need a biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis, but I don't buy it. With
my antibody titers, even if the biopsy was negative, they would still tell me to
go on a gluten free diet. I can follow my progress by testing my antibodies again in 6 months, they should go down.
I believe the only reason to get a biopsy is if the antibodies
are weakly positive, or you are only positive for gliadin, which is the least
specific of the 3.> Some gluten free tips: If you have a Whole Foods supermarket, that will help. A company called George's makes gluten free desserts which are great. I eat rice bread which is fine if I toast it twice. I like quinoa pasta. What else? There are 2 gluten free vodkas made from potatoes, if that's your thing. They're names are Chopin and Lukasowa (sp?)
Thanks for the tips. I'm going to need them.
Mike.
>>
poster:mikel
thread:105356
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020503/msgs/105455.html