Gluten Intolerance Test
by Sarah
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Why a gluten intolerance test? If you feel unwell after eating wheat or grain products, you may have an intolerance to gluten. Gluten is a protein that comes from four grains, mainly barley, rye, wheat, and spelt. Even if you avoid these grains, gluten is added to so many products that it can be very difficult to remove it from your diet. To first discover if it is indeed gluten that is causing you to feel unwell, it’s important to have a gluten intolerance test done.
How Do Doctors Determine If I Have Gluten Intolerance or Wheat Allergy?
Conclusive results for gluten intolerance are usually found by putting a patient on an elimination diet to see if eliminating gluten relieves their issues. However, this is not the first step. Blood testing and allergen testing is done first, as elimination diets can be risky if other issues are present. A blood test to determine if the patient has Celiac’s Disease, a severe gluten intolerance, is first done. The primary blood panel for celiac disease involves testing for the level of the antibodies AGA, EMA and most importantly Anti-tTG.
In some situations a doctor may also suggest an intestinal biopsy.
Clinical Gluten Intolerance Tests
Gluten Intolerance Test
The following test are often conducted by thorough doctors when evaluating patients for gluten intolerance or celiac disease:
- Stool Fat test, to determine malabsorption level (test for Steatorrhea).
- Complete Blood count (CBC), to determine amenia.
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) to look for inflammation.
- C-Reactive Protein (CRP) to further watch for inflammation.
- Vitamin B12, D, and E to check for vitamin deficiency.
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) to analyze protein, calcium and electrolyte levels as well as to check liver and kidney functions.
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Celiac’s Disease is relatively rare, so if the patient tests negative for the clinical test for celiac sprue disease, an allergen test is then done. Please note that just because you test negative for celiac disease does not mean with certainty that you still do not have some form of gluten intolerance. It also does not preclude the possibility for a wheat allergy. For more on these distinctions, please read gluten allergy symptoms.
What is an Allergen Test?
This is usually a skin prick test, which allows a doctor to test for a variety of food and other allergies at once.
If the skin prick test comes back positive for a wheat allergy, an elimination diet is then the next step. If it does not come back positive, more testing is done to rule out other illnesses or conditions that could cause similar symptoms.
After those tests are complete, if gluten intolerance is still the most likely culprit, an elimination diet is used to confirm this diagnosis. To help with this process, I suggest you visit my gluten-free pantry.
Once a gluten sensitivity is confirmed, a dietitian can help you devise a meal plan that minimizes your allergic reactions or damage done by gluten while still providing your nutritional needs. Gluten intolerance doesn’t have to be painful or difficult to manage, and a gluten intolerance test can help you determine if this could be the cause of your discomfort.
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