<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Here is the original question:

> I have noticed that people often ask for help to interpret their antibody
> blood test results. Does anyone know of any accurate internet document to
> which we could refer for this information ?
>
> You can go to WebMd.com and get numbers for most other forms of blood
> testing, e.g. folate levels, cholesterol, vitamin and minerals, blood
sugar,
> etc. but not for the celiac panel.

Most respondents said:

- Different labs will have different values. The values should be printed
right on the lab report, next to your results. The reference range (normal
vs. abnormal) are standardized within a lab, but are not necessarily the
same from lab to lab.

Another question now begs to be asked --- are these labs all performing the
same test? If they are, it must be a subjective observation as to what
constitutes "normal vs. abnormal" readings.

To give another example of a subjective reading, my iron levels were very
low, but my doctor never even mentioned it to me. Fortunately, I had asked
for a copy of the lab results. When I questioned him about it at my next
visit, he said, "your score was 20, the normal range is between 12 and 200,
so your iron levels are normal". But if I am feeling tired and weak, then
personally, I feel that 20 being at the very low end of normal, is an
abnormal number for me, and my body would benefit from iron supplementation,
which it did.

Here are some great sources for information on this topic:

- Read about the ins and outs of testing for gluten sensitivity at BrainTalk
communities:
http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/ and go to the gluten sensitivity/celiac
disease forum.

- Lots of worthwhile reading here:
 http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/diag-tst.html#Laboratories

- There is a good article at http://www.aafp.org/afp/20021215/2259.html  -
it is a
good description of each test but it doesn't go into the numbers.

- And sadly, but somehow not surprisingly, one respondent advised to ALWAYS
get copies of your lab reports. A doctor once told her that everything "came
back normal" when in fact the pathology report said "indicative of Celiac
disease." She suffered for 9 more years before being properly diagnosed.

Janice.

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