After giving it some thinking, you are finally ready to go for that gluten intolerance test. Maybe you’ve been advised by your medical practitioner to take this route? Regardless of the reason behind it, healthcare practitioners use a variety of tests to gauge the body’s reaction to gluten to effectively identify gluten sensitivity.
The essence of undertaking a gluten intolerance test is to help with the identification of celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and other connected health complications. For this reason, you should be aware of the different types of tests available prior to your appointment.
Having said that, the following are some typical test types used to determine gluten sensitivity:
Blood Tests
Different blood tests make part of a successful gluten intolerance test. One such test is igG and igA antibody tests. These tests are aimed at assessing the blood levels of certain antibodies (igG and igA) that may represent an immunological reaction to gluten.
It doesn’t end at that since you may also have to make do with Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) test or Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) test. Tissue Transglutaminase test helps detect tTF antibody levels, which are frequently increased in celiac disease patients but may also be a sign of gluten sensitivity.
Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) test, on the other hand, looks for antibodies to deamidated gliadin peptide, another popular indicator of an immunological reaction to gluten in patients.
Genetic Testing
Aside from bloods test, genetic testing can also make part of a gluten intolerance test. This is especially the case with HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes. Keep in mind these genes are linked to a higher risk of developing celiac disease or gluten intolerance, and can be easily detected by genetic testing.
Elimination Diet
Last but definitely not least is elimination diet. This approach entails doing away with gluten-containing products from the diet for a certain duration, usually a couple of weeks to months. Gluten sensitivity may be indicated if symptoms become better during the gluten-elimination but recur thereafter.
Ensure you understand how these different gluten sensitivity tests work before deciding on anything.