How is Celiac Disease Diagnosed?

NOTE: To ensure an accurate diagnosis, a person’s grain-based diet must remain in place until testing is completed.

The three major steps leading to a diagnosis of celiac disease are:

1. A thorough physical examination, including blood tests for gluten antibodies (EMA – anti-endomysial, tTG – anti-tissue transglutaminase and DGP – Deamidated Gliadin Peptides).  These are IgA based tests.  A total IgA test may provide additional information for the interpretation of individual results.
2. A small bowel biopsy.  For those with skin manifestations, skin biopsies will be taken to determine if dermatitis herpetiformis is present.
3. Implementation of the gluten-free diet.

The process is complete when symptoms subside and the intestinal lining normalizes.