The University of Maryland Center of Celiac Research is a great source of information. It is a highly reputable source (Dr. Fasano is one the top celiac researchers, if not THE top) . In addition, they still recommend the full celiac panel, which include antigliadin antibodies.
http://www.celiaccenter.org/celiac/faq.asp#blood
Quote:
What are the recommended blood tests to diagnose CD?
There is a particular series of blood tests called the ‘Celiac Panel”. These tests measure your immune system’s response to gluten in the food you eat.
tTG-IgA or tissue transglutaminase-IgA
AGA-IgG or Antigliadin IgG
AGA-IgA or Antigliadin IGA
Total IGA
The presence of tTG antibodies is highly suggestive of CD, while AGA can be elevated also in cases of wheat allergy.
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Here are two great articles put out by the AAFP (good to print out):
Detecing Celiac Disease in Your Patients by HAROLD T. PRUESSNER, M.D.,
http://www.aafp.org/afp/980301ap/pruessn.html
Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy (Celiac Disease): More Common Than You Think
DAVID A. NELSEN, JR., M.D., M.S
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20021215/2259.html
And this one:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddise...liac/index.htm
This may be the best overall reference specifically in regard to seizures:
Quote:
From:
Is the prevalence of celiac disease increased among epileptic patients?June 2003
PRATESI, Riccardo, GANDOLFI, Lenora, MARTINS, Rita C. et al. Is the prevalence of celiac disease increased among epileptic patients?. Arq. Neuro-Psiquiatr. [online]. 2003, vol. 61, no. 2B [cited 2006-08-23], pp. 330-334. Available from: <http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2003000300002&lng=en&nrm=iso>. ISSN 0004-282X. doi: 10.1590/S0004-282X2003000300002.
"Taking our findings into account and reviewing previously published studies, some general observations concerning the association between epilepsy and CD can be brought forward:
(a) in many epileptic patients CD is asymptomatic or disclose only mild or atypical features14,15;
(b) epilepsy without cerebral calcifications, may be an early manifestation of CD, with calcifications developing later30;
(c) early identification and treatment of CD may reverse the tendency to epilepsy and probably to the development of calcifications16;
(d) seizures seen in association with CD are frequently difficult to control and, at least in some cases, this is due to poor AEDs absorption resulting from the concurrent enteropathy17;
(e) if CD is not precociously diagnosed, epilepsy will have propensity to progress in severity, evolving to a degree in which, even the introduction of GFD will fail to ameliorate the clinical picture17;
(f) although generalized forms of epilepsy are seen that, at times, rapidly evolve to a severe and progressive encephalopathy suggestive of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome31, partial complex seizures with involvement of the occipital lobes are more frequent16.
In conclusion, a greater attention is needed to the possible coexistence of CD in epileptic patients. Although a systematic screening for CD in all epileptic patients seems to be, at the present time, neither practical nor cost-effective, it seems reasonable to screen at least all patients with complex partial seizures, especially when associated with occipital paroxysms and resistance to drug therapy."
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I have the full text of this article. If you would like it send me a pm with your email addy and I will email it to you.
I noticed the links I left above were broken:
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/diagnostictesting
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com...ndstooltesting
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/seizuresepilepsy
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/pyroluria