In order for you to know if you have celiac disease, you’ll have to visit
your doctor to conduct a few tests. The doctor will test for autoantibodies in
the body, which are proteins that react against the body’s tissues and
molecules. A blood test is conducted to detect levels of immunoglobin in the
blood, as well as anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA) or IgA anti-endomysium
antibodies.
Once a blood test indicates that celiac disease is present, a bowel biopsy
is usually done. For this procedure, the doctor takes a small piece of the
small intestine to check for villi damage. An endoscope, which is a long thin
tube goes through the mouth and stomach into the small intestine, is the main
instrument used in this test.
If you plan on being tested, it’s important that you continue to eat foods
containing gluten before the test, so that the results will be accurate. Celiac
is often misdiagnosed, and has been confused with irritable bowel syndrome,
Crohn’s disease, and intestinal infections, which is why so many people live
with the disease and don’t know it.
Currently, about 1 in every 300 people in the United
States has celiac disease. And, the disease
is hereditary, so checking your family history for symptoms related to
intestinal discomfort and anemia may help you to determine whether you are at
risk for the disease, since up to 15 percent of an individual’s first degree
relatives will have the disease. In some cases, people do not experience any
symptoms, but this does not mean that the intestines are not being damaged. It
is now recommended that Americans be tested for celiac disease routinely, since
many individuals who have type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease, and up to
10 percent of children with Down Syndrome will be diagnosed with celiac
disease.