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Originally Posted by centaur532
Most of this is true...however, I need to correct one small fact. The blood test is the first step in a diagnosis. The only way to know for sure is getting an endoscopy or colonoscopy. This is the only way to receive an actual diagnosis of Celiac Disease.
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That's very true. Thanks for the clarification.
People with celiac have a higher than normal level of certain auto-antibodies in their blood. There are two types of tests done when celiac is suspected-- the gliadin and the reticulin. The two blood tests, if positive, are said to be 90-percent accurate in diagnosing celiac.
Once again, a false negative can occur if the person has gone on a gluten-free diet for three to six months prior to the tests... so in order to get an accurate diagnosis, you must remain on a normal diet containing gluten.
If both tests are positive and symptoms suggest celiac, then the next step, in diagnosis, as Centaur pointed out, is endoscopy and colonoscopy. What the doctor does is takes a small piece of tissue from the small intestine (a biopsy) to look for damage to the villi. That's considered the 100-percent sure diagnosis.