Gluten Testing (Celiac Profile) - (Miami-Dade County, FL residents only)

Important info, please read! These tests are only available to Miami-Dade County, Florida residents only right now.

Once you pay for your test through our website, we will arrange to have Metametrix send you the test kit to the shipping address you specify when you check out. If you contact Metametrix Labs directly, they will file an insurance claim for your insurance if you think your insurance will cover some or all of the costs for these tests. We will not file an insurance claim, this is your responsibility. Metametrix Labs phone number is 1-800-221-4640.

Either test requires a blood draw. We have a licensed mobile phlebotomist that will come to your home or office to obtain the blood sample, prep it and send the sample back to Metametrix Labs for you. This makes this test convenient and private. You do not need to go to a doctor's office or a lab. The average cost for a home visit is $45-$65 depending on where you live. You will be responsible for paying at the time of service for the phlebotomy (blood draw) (This cost is not included in our price for these blood tests, this is a separate cost). Once you receive your test kit via FedEx, you can call the mobile phlebotomist to make an appointment for them to come collect sample. The telephone number is 305-459-3905. They are called "Bayside Mobile Medical Services". Here is a link to their website if you want to learn more about this company: Bayside Mobile Medical Services.

IgG4 Food Antibodies (90 Foods) + Celiac Profile - (Miami-Dade County, FL residents only)

Why should I have food allergy/antibody testing?
Scientists estimate that approximately 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies.* A food allergy or sensitivity is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. Once the immune system decides that a particular food is harmful, it creates specific antibodies to it.
www.foodallergy.org

Why should I have the Metametrix Allergix IgG4 Antibody Profile?
IgG4 food antibody profiles that can reveal food reactions due to intestinal permeability (leaky gut) issues. Because they are distinct from IgE-mediated allergies, we describe IgG4 effects as ?food sensitivities.? The profiles measure levels of IgG4 antibodies that provide the clinician and patient with useful data to design appropriate diets that exclude the offending foods.

Food sensitivities can occur at any age, triggering many different symptoms and contributing to a variety of disorders including:

• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Gas/bloating
• Fatigue
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• ADD/ADHD
• Headaches/migraines
• Skin problems
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sinusitis
• Recurrent ear infections

IgG4 antibodies are associated with delayed hypersensitivity reactions, which are the most common?yet most difficult to detect? type of food reaction. These delayed or ?hidden? food reactions can cause a variety of chronic symptoms. Since IgG4 reactions occur several hours or even days later, there may be no obvious association between consuming a food and an adverse reaction. Food IgG4 levels increase in response to the presence of the food antigens that penetrate a weakened intestinal barrier and enter the bloodstream, particularly with commonly eaten foods (e.g., corn, wheat, dairy, and egg). IgG4 antibodies combine with specific food antigens to form food immune complexes, which cause the problems associated with delayed allergic responses. The complexes can cause inflammatory reactions at various sites in the body, including the small and large intestines, skin, kidneys, ears, sinuses, head, lungs, and joints.

Factors to Consider:
If you were on steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or if you were not consuming a tested food, the test probably will not show a positive reaction. If you are already on an elimination diet due to known food reactions, a negative result on an IgG4 food antibody profile does not necessarily mean you can freely eat the food without experiencing symptoms. Reintroduce any previously reactive foods with caution.

Two major types of food reactions involve antibody production in your body that are important to understand when selecting a food reaction test:

• Immediate Reactions to Foods (IgE) - Classic allergic reactions occur within 3 hours after eating. They are usually caused by high IgE antibody blood levels that produce an immediate allergic response. This allergic reaction may appear as a rash after eating foods like strawberries or crabmeat. The potentially fatal but very rare ?anaphylactic? reaction after eating foods like peanuts or shellfish is another example of an ?IgE? reaction. We are NOT testing for IgE antibodies with this test! This would be another test completely.
• Delayed Reactions to Foods (IgG4) - These reactions are much more difficult to notice since they can occur hours or days after consumption of an offending food. Yet, this ?delayed? type of reaction is far more common than the immediate IgE type. In some cases, you may eat a food for several days before developing a reaction to it, so you may not realize the link between the food and your symptoms. These delayed reactions to food are often referred to as ?hidden? food sensitivities. They are caused by increased IgG antibody blood levels in reaction to specific foods. Often, the offending foods are hard to avoid and frequently eaten, such as milk, corn, and wheat. The IgG4 is what this test will be testing with this test.

For a sample of what your test report would look like, please click here.

This is the list of foods that are assessed in this IgG4 Food Antibody Test for 90 Foods:

The Celiac Test measures IgA-tTG, Serum IgA, and IgA-AGA. When IgA-tTG and IgA-AGA are positive, there is a high degree of certainty the patient has celiac disease. When IgA-tTG is positive with normal IgA-AGA, the patient may have celiac disease, but may have been following a gluten-free diet, reducing their IgA-AGA. Individuals with moderate to strong positives should follow up with a biopsy.

Method: ELISA and Immunoturbidometric assay

• IgA human tissue transglutaminase (IgA-tTG): Occurs as an immune response to tissue transglutaminase and is rarely found in individuals without celiac disease.
• Serum IgA: Identifying serum IgA deficiencies are important for two reasons. First, IgA deficiencies can lead to false negatives for IgA-tTG. Second, individuals with an IgA deficiency have a 10 - 15 times greater risk of developing celiac disease.2
• IgA antigliadin antibody (IgA-AGA): This antibody develops against gliadin showing consumption of gluten-containing foods that can propagate the enteropathy of celiac disease.

Please click this link to see a copy of a Sample Report. You will receive a similar report with your results.

Gluten Testing (Celiac Profile):

People who have zero health symptoms now, may be gluten sensitive and if they are, every time they eat it, it breaks down their body and causes inflammation until one day, one of their "weakest links" on the "chain" breaks, and they wake up to a disease (autoimmune, diabetes, neurodegenerative, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression, anxiety, migraines, brain lesions, neuralgias, ADHD, learning disabilities, developmental delays, epilepsy, cerebral ataxia, shorter stature, problems with coordination).

It is estimated that more than 2 million people in the United States alone have celiac disease.1 Celiac disease is an autoimmune response to gluten. Inherited factors make some individuals sensitive to a protein called gliadin, which is a part of the total protein or gluten found in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. When people with celiac disease ingest gluten, their immune system responds by damaging their intestinal villi - the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Damaged villi can lead to long-term complications from impaired absorption such as malnutrition, anemia, osteoporosis, and miscarriage, among other problems.

People with celiac disease experience varied symptoms or no symptoms, but can still develop complications of the disease. The following symptoms may indicate a need for a celiac test:

• Unexplained iron-deficiency anemia
• Fatigue
• Bone or joint pain
• Arthritis
• Bone loss or osteoporosis
• Depression or anxiety
• Autoimmune diseases
• Tingling numbness in the hands and feet
• Seizures
• Missed menstrual periods
• Infertility or recurrent miscarriage
• Canker sores inside the mouth
• An itchy skin rash called dermatitis Herpetiformis

Conditions, diseases and symptoms related to Celiac Disease:

• Abdominal cramps, gas and bloating
• Anemia
• Crohn?s disease
• Diarrhea
• Foul-smelling or grayish stools that may be fatty or oily
• Gastric ulcers
• General weakness
• Intermittent diarrhea
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Osteoporosis
• Parasite infections
• Skin disorders
• Stunted growth (in children)
• Weight loss
• Lupus erythematosus
• Type 1 diabetes
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Autoimmune thyroid disease
• Microscopic colitis
[Source: www.mayoclinic.com]

Inherited factors make some individuals sensitive to a protein called gliadin present in some cereal grains. Gliadin is a part of the total protein or gluten in the grains. When undigested gluten reaches the small intestine, gliadin peptides activate auto-immune reactions in susceptible individuals. As many as 1 in 133 Americans with no previous symptoms or family history of celiac disease may be affected.(3)

Serum IgA is measured to confirm IgA competence and to assure the validity of the tissue- and antigen-specific tests for gluten-sensitive enteropathies. If total IgA is > 10 the other markers are reliable indicators. If total IgA < 10 testing of IgG antibodies to transglutaminase and gliadin may be used. Elevated or moderately depressed IgA can indicate gut-associated lymphoid tissue hyper- or hypo-function, respectively.

Elevated tissue transglutaminase indicates the presence of celiac disease with high sensitivity and specificity for the presence of significant villous atrophy. Antibodies to transglutaminase form upon cell damage.(4) The preceding factor of gluten-activated immune response is revealed by elevated anti-gliadin IgA II. This test may be positive in patients with limited villous atrophy during early stages of the disease or negative for those on a gluten-free diet.(5)

Disclaimer: These test results are not for the diagnosis of disease. They are intended to provide nutritional guidelines to qualified healthcare professionals with full knowledge of patient history and concerns to assist in their design of an appropriate healthcare program.

References:
1Westberg, D.P., et al., New Strategies for diagnosis and management of celiac disease. J Am Osteopath Assoc, 2006. 18(1):p.145-51.
2Kumar V, Celiac disease and immunoglobulin a deficiency: how effective are the serological methods of diagnosis? http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/gluthami/gluham4.htm, 2002.
3. Fasano A, Berti I, Gerarduzzi T, et al. Prevalence of celiac disease in at-risk and not-at-risk groups in the United States: a large multicenter study. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163:286-292.
4. Farrell RJ, Kelly CP. Diagnosis of celiac sprue. Am J Gastroenterol. 2001;96:3237-3246.
5. Green PH, Jabri B. Coeliac disease. Lancet. 2003;362:383-391.