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How to get diagnosed

It is important that if you suspect you have coeliac disease that you should stay on a normal gluten-containing diet - a gluten free diet should not be started as it will interfere with establishing the correct diagnosis. A diagnosis cannot be made simply by you trialing a gluten free diet and feeling better/symptom free. If a gluten free diet has already been adopted, the tests used to diagnose coeliac disease are unreliable, and can be falsely negative.

It is important that if you think you have coeliac disease to first talk to your doctor. You should mention if a relative has coeliac disease and/or dermatitis herpetiformis or if you or a family member has been treated for anaemia. Tests your doctor may do include:

Blood Tests
Blood tests (coeliac serology) are used to screen for coeliac disease. ‘Coeliac serology’ measures antibody levels in the blood which are typically elevated in people with untreated coeliac disease.
 
Biopsy/endoscopy
This involves a gastroscopy procedure in which several tiny samples (biopsies) of the small bowel are taken. A gastroscopy is a simple day procedure done under light anaesthetic sedation that takes about 10 minutes. In the majority of cases, the bowel damage present in those with untreated coeliac disease is not visible to the naked eye. The biopsies are examined under a microscope to confirm the presence of villous atrophy.

Gene testing
Gene (HLA) testing is a useful in cases when the diagnosis of coeliac disease is not certain. This can occur if the blood or small bowel biopsy results are difficult to interpret, or if adequate gluten was not being consumed to make the test reliable. It requires a blood sample or cheek (buccal) scraping. Over 99% of people affected by coeliac disease possess either HLA DQ2, HLA DQ8, or parts of these genes. However, the gene test alone cannot diagnose coeliac disease as not everyone with the gene will develop coeliac disease.
If you have a negative response to the gene test,  it effectively rules out a diagnosis of coeliac disease.

The gene test does not rely on a person eating gluten so can be used when people have already commenced a gluten free diet. If the gene test is negative for HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8 then coeliac disease can be ruled out. If the gene test is positive for HLA DQ2 or HLA DQ8, then a gluten challenge followed by small bowel biopsy will be required to test for coeliac disease.

Already gluten free?
If gluten has been removed from the diet, a normal diet must be resumed for at least six weeks prior to testing. During this ‘gluten challenge’, a minimum of four slices of wheat based bread (or equivalent) should be consumed each day (for adults) (2 slices of wheat based bread each day for children). It is important the gluten challenge is carried out properly to ensure reliable testing results.

Already diagnosed?

You are not alone! Get support, further your knowledge and understanding, and learn to live a full life by becoming a member of Coeliac New Zealand. The organisation is made up of people of all ages who have had similar experiences to you. Click here to join today!

Membership is open to a person:

• diagnosed with coeliac disease
• diagnosed with dermatitis herpetiformis
• who is following a gluten free diet as recommended by a medical specialist/doctor

contact us If you have any questions regarding anything on this website or anything to do with coeliac disease/gluten free, please contact us at: Ph: 09 820 5157 (Support Line) Fax: 09 414 7468 Email: admin@coeliac.org.nz Or view alternative ways

about us Coeliac New Zealand Incorporated, formerly Coeliac Society of New Zealand (Inc), was formed in 1973 to promote the welfare of children and adults who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis and those on a strict gluten free diet as medically recommended. Find out more about us here

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