What does it mean that my antigliadin antibody level is just below the upper limit of normal?
All clinical laboratory tests must define a normal range that best distinguishes those with disease from those without. Depending on what range is used to define normal will determine how many people with disease will fall into the normal range, and conversely, how many people without disease will fall into the abnormal range. Our determined cut off for normal of 10 Units was derived after years of comparing antibody levels with gene and malabsorptive test results, as well as clinical histories before and after treatment with a gluten free diet. Although our stool test is multitudes more sensitive in picking up gluten sensitivity than blood tests, no single diagnostic test can rule out gluten sensitivity with 100% certainty (we estimate our antibody test misses about 1 in 500, about equal to the frequency of IgA deficiency in the general population). Thus, while it is very unlikely that a person with an antigliadin antibody level in the normal range has active gluten sensitivity, anyon
