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Chris Dropik asked:
 
>I am curious about the "medical maintenance" a person with celiac should
>have.  Someone wrote recently ...."at a recent GI checkup, the results of the
>standard celiac blood tests (antirectculin, antiendomysial, etc.)  came back
>negative."  Should people with celiac be checking back with their GI on a
>regular basis for this bloodtest?
 
Chris, I think you will get different recommendations from different doctors
on this point.  I have read the above tests being recommended as often as once
a year for biopsy-confirmed celiacs on a GF diet, to test for compliance with
the diet and the body's response.  Since the absence of symptoms does NOT
guarantee the absence of internal damage when a celiac accidentally ingests
gluten, its great that this test exists.  I am told it is 95%+ accurate.
 
At Specialty Labs in Santa Monica, the Celiac Disease Foundation negotiated a
flat $75 fee for the celiac panel.  This is reasonable enough that I had my
son tested TWICE during the first year of his GF diet, and I plan on having
him tested once a year now.  Whether one retests this often is a personal
choice -- also my son has not gone back to the pediatric g.i.  to do the blood
test, I just took him to the lab.  This does save money if you don't have any
issues to discuss with the g.i., and our g.i.  said it was OK with him since
my son's health immediately recovered on a GF diet.
 
Bill Elkus
Los Angeles