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M$1 July 24, 2009 04:08 PM

How reliable is the home celiac test? (biocard)

what sorts of tests are available? are any definitive.
I actually bought home blood tests for Celiac and a couple of them came back as a faint positive, including my son's, but his bloodwork at the gastroenterologist came back negative.
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July 24, 2009 05:47 PM
Celiac Disease is often misdiagnosed by non-specialists based on the symptoms and inaccurate or misinterpreted tests. Therefore, home tests should not be considered a diagnosys, just one more tool for obtaining information. These tests are serological and do not test the malfunctioning intestine directly, they only measure the molecules that cause the problem.

According to www.celiac.com

"To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor may need to do a biopsy, that is, microscopically examine a small portion of intestinal tissue to check for celiac associated damage to the small intestine. (...) To do this, your doctor takes a sample of intestinal tissue to look for damage to the villi (tiny, hair-like projections in the walls the small intestine that absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients)."

Complete and accurate diagnosis:
"The original criteria for diagnosis according to the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, (ESPGAN), involved a year of arduous studies with:

* An initial positive gut biopsy;
* 6 months on a gluten free diet;
* A second, negative gut biopsy;
* A gluten challenge for 6 months and;
* A third, positive gut biopsy. The revised ESPGAN criteria call for positive results in two of the serological tests confirmed by a single positive biopsy. In practice, many gastroenterologists are utilizing the serologies in conjunction with a controlled diet and the clinical presentation to form a basis for diagnosis without the need for the invasive procedure."

I've been working with antibodies for many years now and it is really difficult to believe in a result that only says possitive or negative (appearence of a band giving a certain ammount of sample and time). The best way to check is to be tested by other methods that are quantitative, so you can know the baseline. After that, these home tests are useful for rutinary control.
They are not deffinitive as diagnostic tools.
Source(s):
www.celiac.com and ten years working with antibodies.

Asker's Rating:
• thank you!


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July 24, 2009 04:53 PM
Technically any medical test based on a gadget or other way is not so correct and any body claming it to be 100% correct is misleading.

Check this site for more details

http://celiachometest.com/
Source(s):
http://celiachometest.com/


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July 24, 2009 07:40 PM
I think your best bet is to let your doctors order tests for this, and let actual lab technicians produce the results to be completly accurate.
I work in a bio medical testing lab. False positves/negatives can be troubling and delay proper treatment.

Also, do not go on the celiac diet before getting the tests done because it will throw off even professional testing and may have to be re-done, also delaying proper treatment and relief. I agree with nushka .
Source(s):
Previous online research, friends with celiac disease, employer (a doctor) who self diagnosed, and suffered because of impoper treatment.


Tags: home, celiac, testing

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