Celiac Disease Diagnosis

Initial screening for CD is a blood test taken by your physician.  The test can be referred to as a Celiac Panel or by the names of the individual tests.  To provide the most accurate information, the blood test should include the following tests:  Anit-endomysial antibody (IgA EMA) and anti-gliadin antibody (IgA & IgG) and tissue tranglutaminase (tTG IgA).

These tests are very sensitive and specific for celiac disease.  A gastroenterologist takes small intestine tissue biopsies if the results of the antibody test(s) are positive or he/she has a strong suspicion of CD.  A biopsy showing damaged villi in the small intestine is the first half of the 'Gold Standard' to diagnosing CD.  The second half of the 'Gold Standard' is improvement of health with the gluten-free diet.  It is possible, in some situations, to have normal blood tests and still have celiac disease.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis Diagnosis

Your dermatologist will take a small biopsy of the unaffected skin very close to an eruption or eruption site.  The presence of IgA deposits confirms a diagnosis of DH.  Sometimes the dermatologist may also want you to have blood work for celiac disease and see a gastroenterologist.