Celiac disease tests
You can have all test required to prove celiac disease or predisposition of inherited risk to get this disease done at out Centre. Some tests are available only in our clinic.
Celiac disease is an enteropathy of genetic origin, caused by malabsorption of nutrients. The grain protein gluten contains several proteins: gliadin (present in wheat), hordein (present in barley) and secalin (present in rye). ll these proteins penetrate through the intestinal wall and there are decomposed to amino acids. An immune response is provoked during the interaction of proteins with intestinal mucosa. The antibodies produced attack the villi of intestinal mucosa, which are responsible for the absorption (assimilation and transfer to the blood) of nutrients and vitamins. The inflammatory reaction leads to dysfunction of villi, therefore food is passing down the intestine not reaching the blood and causing diarrhoea.
Celiac disease can get complicated with vitamin and mineral deficiency, anaemia and osteoporosis. Repeated miscarriages and higher risk of infertility have been commonly reported in females suffering from this disease. Patients with celiac disease have higher risk of intestinal, liver or oesophageal cancer and intestinal lymphoma. It has been proved that mortality rate among the patients with celiac disease is doubled as compared with healthy population. Celiac disease can be diagnosed in people at any age. In 58–77 percent of cases this disease has been diagnosed at the age from six months to two years, when a child starts to eat gluten containing products. 5-10 percent of people with family history of celiac disease are under the risk to develop this disorder. This disease in females has been reported 2-3 times more often than in males.
Based on world -wide studies celiac disease affects 1 individual out of 100. In Lithuania this disease usually underdiagnosed or diagnosed belatedly, when patients are examined for other complaints.
In case of timely diagnosis of the disease the patients are prescribed with gluten-free diet, which, if strictly followed, results in very fast as fast as few weeks disappearance of the symptoms of celiac disease, prevents irreversible damage of main organs and improves quality of life.
In the case of celiac disease a complex examination is very important – specific antibodies of a single or several different types that affect mucous membrane of the small intestine can be found in the blood. If the results of antibody tests are positive and clinical symptoms are present, a biopsy of small intestine villi and genetic tests can be done to confirm diagnosis of celiac disease.
Celiac disease cannot be diagnosed on the basis of the tests for all specific antibodies, because they may be absent in the patient with celiac disease and, on the contrary, they may be found in a person without celiac disease. The precision of antibody tests is higher than 90 percent. A gluten-free diet as well as use of prednisolone or other immunosuppressive medicines may impact the test results (e. g. if a person follows the gluten free diet for one month or longer, the celiac disease specific antibodies may disappear). The celiac disease specific antibodies test help to select the patients who require biopsy of small intestine.
Diagnostics of celiac disease starts from the blood tests for specific antibodies. It is useful to start with a general immunoglobulin A (IgA) test, as general IgA deficiency is found in 2 to 10 percent of patients with celiac disease. If IgA deficiency is found this indicates that the patient with celiac disease will not develop IgA antibodies neither to to tissue transglutaminase (iTG) nor to deamidated gliadin protein epitopes (DGP), nor to non-modified gliadin proteins nor to endomysium. In such case tests for celiac disease specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) class antibodies are more informative.
Genetic test for the diagnosis, genetic predisposition and risk assessment of celiac disease is available that allows to detect specific antigens of human leukocytes (HLA), predisposing development of celiac disease. Genetic test is recommended to prove the diagnosis when symptoms potentially associated with celiac disease are present and biopsy as well as blood test results are positive. Genetic test can also be carried out to screen family members belonging to the celiac disease risk group.
Celiac disease tests
What factors affect the price?
The prices indicated below apply to citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and the European Union.
If you are coming from another country please check the price by telephoning or sending an email.
Why it is worth
To be examined at our Centre?
- Your tests will be carried out ensuring high quality. This is proved by ISO 15189 accreditation.
- The results of main tests will be reported in 1–2 hours.
- The test results obtained in our laboratory will be explained by laboratory professionals.
Such service in our country is offered only in few laboratories. - Within 7 days after blood collection we can carry out additional tests for celiac disease using the same collected blood sample. This is important for a child or for the patients coming from other cities!
- There is no risk of damaging or confounding samples during transportation.
- Our Centre is the first establishment in Lithuania offering blood tests for celiac disease. Since 2007 we have gained experience in celiac disease diagnosis and treatment.