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“Nearly 4 years my 2 year old daughter was diagnosed with Coeliacs by biopsy." "My son, who has just turned five, has now started complaining of sore tummies, and he has very large, loose bowel movements. Also, he has become very irritable and easily upset etc. In fact, like my daughter, was when she got sick, he's really changed. He is not the same little boy he used to be." "So we took him to get his blood tested. His results were: high gliadin IgG Antibodies (31 units (0-20)) and low Tissue Transglutaminase (0 units (0-3))." "I understand that Gliadin alone is not a sign of coeliacs. Our GP says that he has no idea what to do and the Paediatrician we see up here yearly also does not know what to do. I told my Doctor that I would try and contact you for some advice. Should we arrange for a biopsy? We would really love your guidance. Kind regards, Jo.”
I have put in her whole question to put my comments in context. I reply: Your son has some symptoms and has the family history of coeliac disease. His tests show a high Gliadin IgG Antibody which suggests that he is gluten-sensitive. (he also had a normal total IgA level that shows he does not have IgA deficiency His Tissue Transglutaminase is negative telling us that he is unlikely to have gut damage at present I recommend that he have a gene tests for HLA DQ2/DQ8 to see if he has the genetic predisposition for coeliac disease. He does not warrant a biopsy at this stage. You might find that if he goes gluten-free that he gets better (despite not have full blown coeliac disease at this stage). That would tell you that he is gluten-sensitive. Coeliac disease is a progressive condition - so normal tests now do not rule out coeliac disease in the future - so if he stays on gluten and if he has the positive gene, then he will need sporadic blood tests to check his coeliac status. All of the family need regular review if they are still eating gluten foods. Rodney Ford |
