Celiac concerns

Question
Hi Kimberly,

My Girlfriend and I are pretty sure she has celiac disease, as we've had very good results cutting out gluten from her diet.
We're trying to get it diagnosed, but unsure exactly what the blood work for celiac disease necessitates.
She's under the impression that she needs to eat gluten (or a 'normal') diet for the next week or so before seeing her doctor to ask for a blood test.  Of course that means a week of being sick.  When exactly does she need to start eating gluten to avoid a false negative test, and what other concerns should we address with her Doctor?

Thank You

Answer
She definitely needs to see a specialist to be diagnosed properly and that would be a gastroenterologist. A blood test is used at the beginning to screen for gluten intolerance.  However, if she follows a gluten-free diet before having the blood test it can interfere with test results and could cause an incorrect diagnosis.  The blood test is not the definitive tool for diagnosis though.  If it comes back positive for the antibodies they are looking for than they will most likely do a biopsy.  This is the most conclusive test.  
She really needs to see a doctor first though!  Just because her symptoms diappeared with a gluten-free diet does NOT positively mean she has celiac disease.  Really only seeing a doctor and having the correct testing done can diagnose what her problem is!
I would be sure she sees a gastroenterologist that has some experience with celiac disease and she should tell the doctor exactly what she has been doing and what her suspicions are!!
Kim Tessmer, RD LD
www.Nutrifocus.net  

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