Diagnosing Celiac Disease

Approximately 97% of individuals with Celiac Disease are undiagnosed. In order to improve the rate of diagnosis and subsequent health outcomes of individuals with this disease, blood screening should be preformed on any patient presenting with signs and symptoms suspicious of Celiac Disease. Although blood screening is highly accurate, small bowel biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis.

The following documents and links discuss the diagnosis of Celiac Disease through disease recognition, blood screens and biopsy. Information is also provided regarding home test kits and genetic screening.

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Recognizing Celiac Disease

Diagnosing Celiac Disease

Home Test Kit

Recognizing Celiac Disease

• Road to Diagnosis
  Written in a unique narrative style by individuals with celiac disease this book (available to read online) provides insight into common diagnosis pitfalls through the sharing of patients real life journeys to diagnosis. Each case includes clinical pearls written by Dr. Moshin Rashid.
• What is it? Brochure
  A summary of the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and genetic origins of Celiac Disease.
• Myths and Facts Brochure
  A brief printer friendly document correcting many of the myths that exist about Celiac Disease, including diagnosis concerns and the gluten-free diet.

Diagnosing

• Diagnosis Flowchart
  Practice guidelines for diagnosing Celiac Disease.Document from: Toward Optimized Practice, a program of the Alberta Medical Association, Alberta Health & Wellness, Alberta’s Regional Health Authorities, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
• Blood Testing Brochure
  An overview of blood screening tests for Celiac Disease. This brochure includes frequently asked questions about the role of blood screening in Celiac Disease diagnosis.
• Genetic Testing
  This article discusses the role of genetic testing in the diagnosis of Celiac Disease.

Home Test Kit

• CCA Consensus Paper
  Consensus recommendations for managing outcomes associated with Health Canada approved Celiac Disease home test kits from the Canadian Celiac Association.
• BioCard Homepage Link
  Home page of BioCard^TM(Celiac Disease home test kit). Provides product information, video demonstration of appropriate testing method, ordering information and a section for health professionals.
• BioCard User Manual
  From ANI Biotech, makers of BioCard^TM.
• BioCard Technical Information
  From ANI Biotech, makers of BioCard^TM.
• Dear Doctor Letter
  This printable version of a "Dear Doctor" letter was designed jointly by the Canadian Celiac Association and 2G Pharma (Canadian distributors of BioCardTM) for use by patients whose home test kits have yielded a positive result. This letter is intended to help communicate appropriate action with their primary physician.