What is the numeric range of positive antigliadin antibody results?
Our antibody tests range numerically from a positive value of 10 to as high as 350 Units. The average positive value is about 45 Units. The “units” are based on the amount of antibody detected in the assay which is reflected by more color developing as the result of a color-generating chemical reaction. Thus, the more antibody present, the higher the units of positivity. However, the amount of antibody present is not a measure of clinical severity, but rather, the amount of antibody being produced by the plasma cells in the intestine in response to gluten at that site. A positive value of any degree means your immune system is reacting to dietary gluten in the way the immune system reacts to an infection. With an infection, this immune reaction ultimately kills and clears the infectious organism. But with gluten, the reaction continues as long as it is eaten. Thus, the only way to halt this immune reaction is to remove all gluten from the diet. This is true whether your positive test i
