<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
My original post asked for the recommended tests as part of one's
annual medical checkup since I have been gluten free for nearly 3
decades with no particular attention paid to my Celiac condition.
The good news is that we seem to be pretty healthy after decades of
being gluten free and following a well rounded healthy diet.
I hope the links come through ok as I have had problems in the past
with extra characters.
Summary:
Several responders requested a summary as they in the same
situation as me.
1. <www.napervillegi.com> Look under "Care for patients with celiac
disease". It's the first item after the support group info...
[this is Dr. Holland's website and is essentially the same as #2.]
2. Listserve post by Dr. Holland Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 6:00
PM, Subject: Re: Yearly checkups
You can search the archives for this post with this link
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/celiac.html>
3. From Canadian Celiac Association website -
<http://www.celiac.ca/EnglishCCA/ereference.html>
Gluten: Dietary Devil? "Dr. Anisha Lakhani, a clinical Assistant
Professor at UBC, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, authored this
paper in the August 2007 (vol.23, #8) edition of Pharmacy Practice. Dr.
Lakhani concludes, "Patients who are closely followed by a
coordinated, multidisciplinary healthcare team will most likely derive the
most benefit. Pharmacists, as members of the team, can have a
significant impact in assisting in the care and counseling of patients
with CD." We acknowledge Pharmacy Practice who granted permission
to reproduce the article. "
<http://www.celiac.ca/pdfs/Pharmacy_Practice_08-2007.pdf>
4. From <http://www.celiac.com/articles/68/1/Tips-for-Celiacs---by-Ann-
Whelan/Page1.html> Tips for Celiacs - by Ann Whelan
The following article was published in The Sprue-nik Pres, Volume 9,
Number 1 January 2000, Published by the Tri-County Celiac Sprue
Support Group, a chapter of CSA/USA, Inc. serving southeastern
Michigan.
[Go to the website for the full article. Here is a partial extract:]
"Have an annual physical exam that includes a complete blood count
(CBC) and stool testing, according to Dr. Joseph Murray of the Mayo
Clinic. He thinks you should have thyroid testing every other year, but if
you already have thyroid disease, more frequent testing might be
advantageous. The experts also say you should have serology
antibody testing once a year to test for compliance with the gluten-free
diet. A positive result almost always means some gluten has been
inadvertently ingested. Dr. Murray says you then have to: Check your
diet, check your diet again, and check your diet a third time. He also
recommends taking one good multi-vitamin a day that includes 100
percent of the recommended daily amount of B-complex vitamins, iron,
folate and other vitamins and minerals.
Whatever other supplements you take will depend on your own
personal needs. You will need to investigate the possible gluten
content in everything you ingest, including (and especially!) vitamins
and medications. We have to be careful of everything that goes into
our mouths, but especially of anything we take every day."
5. I've been wondering the same thing and have a history somewhat
similar to yours. I have been strictly gf for the past 15 years and was
dx by bloodwork and had never had any follow-up celiac testing. I just
had a "celiac disease panel" run by my endocrinologist and all was
clear; my dr. said that "all my numbers looked good, no evidence of
celiac damage." The panel included the tests for tissue
transglutaminase antibody, Iga, immuoglubulin A, and gliadin antibody
(Iga). My doctor didn't go over the testing for this line by line b/c
nothing showed any pathology. I was particularly interested to know
whether I had the Iga deficiency, but it showed negative, and the
doctor said that this "opens you up to a whole different world of
autoimmune problems so it was good that I don't have that." At any
rate, those were the tests done. I plan to have him go over this in
more detail at my next appointment.
6. You should have the gluten blood test every year to make sure that
your levels do not show any gluten. You should also have a cbc panel
and a white blood cell count test as well as a sed rate. For people with
celiacs disease their sed rates are sometimes higher which can mean
gastritis or an irritation of the stomach lining. Also every two years
you should be getting scoped especially if you are over 50. Upper and
lower GI.
7. I have also followed a gf diet for 21 years. I never had follow up
tests. Recently I had a nodule in my stomach and they needed to
biopsy it. While they did they did the celiac biopsy and it came back
healed. I think if I did not need the stomach biopsied I would not have
done any follow up testing because I knew I was 100% gluten free.
Finally, please respect the copyrights of published materials quoted in
this summary.
Barb
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