Doctor's Notes:

So how is somebody diagnosed with Celiac Disease? Well, a health care provider can diagnose Celiac Disease with the following examinations:

• a medical and family history
• a physical exam
• blood tests
• an intestinal biopsy

Firstly, examining a patient’s medical and family history can assist a health care provider in diagnosing Celiac Disease by checking if the patient is already genetically predisposed to contract the disease. Celiac Disease is more common in patients who have a first degree relative who also has the disease.

Next, a physical exam can help diagnose Celiac Disease as a health care provider can see if a patient has any common symptoms. As an example; a health care provider may check for malnutrition or rashes, tap on a patient’s abdomen to check for bloating or pain, and use a stethoscope to listen to the sounds within the abdomen.

Blood tests taken at a health care provider’s office, or a commercial facility, can show the presence of certain antibodies that are common in Celiac Disease. If the results are negative but the health care provider still suspects Celiac Disease they may have a patient retake the blood tests. It is important that a patient eats a diet that includes gluten before the blood test is taken, or else the results may be a false negative.

Finally, if a blood test suggests that a patient has Celiac Disease a health care provider will perform an intestinal biopsy of the patient's small intestine to confirm the diagnosis. A biopsy is a procedure that involves taking a piece of tissue for examination with a microscope. A health care provider performs the biopsy in an outpatient center or in a hospital. They will give the patient light sedation and a local anesthetic. Some patients may receive general anesthesia.

During the biopsy, a health care provider will remove tiny pieces of tissue from the patient's small intestine using an endoscope (a small, flexible camera with a light). The health care provider will carefully feed the endoscope down the patient's esophagus and into their stomach and small intestine. A small camera mounted on the endoscope will transmit a video image to a monitor, allowing close examination of the intestinal lining. The health care provider then takes the samples using tiny tools that he or she passes through the endoscope. A pathologist will then examine the tissue in a lab. The test can show if there is damage to the villi within the small intestine. (NDDIC, 2015)

So there you have it. With these tests a health care provider can assess whether or not you or someone else has Celiac Disease. In my next post I’ll be analyzing the signs and symptoms of this disease. I’ll see you then!

Works Cited

NDDIC. (2015, June 25). Celiac Disease. Retrieved from The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/celiac-disease/Pages/facts.aspx#diagnosed