How to get diagnosed

For anyone who thinks they may have coeliac disease, it's essential to continue to eat gluten until investigations are done to make a definite diagnosis. This is because taking gluten out of the diet, or reducing the amount of gluten eaten before being tested, is likely to cause false negative tests.

There are three steps in the diagnosis of coeliac disease:

• Step One:  The first step is to discuss your symptoms with your GP.
• Step Two: Your GP can then take a simple blood test. A coeliac disease blood test looks for a kind of antibody that the body makes in response to eating gluten. The most accurate blood tests for coeliac disease are:
  
  Tissue transglutaminase antibody (shortened to 'tTGA')
  
  Endomysial antibody (shortened to 'EMA')
  
  Which is used depends on the laboratory performing the test - they may measure one of the antibodies, or sometimes both.
  
  A few people with coeliac disease do not make these coeliac disease antibodies. Therefore people with strongly suggestive symptoms of coeliac disease, and/or have a close relative with the condition could discuss with their GP about going to Step three, despite having a negative blood test for coeliac disease.
• Step Three: Your GP will then refer you to a gut specialist doctor (gastroenterologist) for a simple test called a gut biopsy. This involves a thin flexible tube, known as an endoscope, being passed via your mouth and stomach and into the small intestine.  It is normally done using a local anaesthetic spray which numbs the back of the throat, or with a sedative given by injection. Small samples of gut lining are collected (biopsies), and later examined under a microscope to check for abnormalities that are typical in coeliac disease.

These tests for coeliac disease can be done on both adults and children and are recommended to confirm a diagnosis of coeliac disease in all cases.  In young children, the endoscopy is performed under a general anaesthetic. If you have any concerns about testing, the best thing to do is to discuss them specifically with your healthcare team.

Once the diagnosis of coeliac disease is made, you can then join Coeliac UK as a Member and receive lots of detailed information and support about following a gluten-free diet.

A self testing kit developed by Biocard is now available to buy online. For further information, please click here.