Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (Anti-TTG) are linked to Coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.
Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (Anti-TTG) are linked to Coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Normal range
Normal range
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Normal range
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Normal range
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (Anti-TTG) are linked to Coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Normal range
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Normal range
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Normal range
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (Anti-TTG) are linked to Coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Normal range
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Normal range
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Negative: < 7 AU/mL, Positive: > 7 AU/mL
Normal range
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies (IgA)
Dr. Shad Asinger
MBBS GPST
Your Gluten Sensitivity Marker
Your Gluten Sensitivity Marker
Every time you consume gluten-containing foods, your immune system decides whether to accept these proteins as harmless nutrients or attack them as foreign invaders. In people with coeliac disease, the immune system mistakenly creates antibodies against tissue transglutaminase, a substance (enzyme) in your intestinal lining, causing these antibodies to serve as reliable markers for this autoimmune condition that damages your small intestine and affects nutrient absorption.
Anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) IgA antibodies represent your immune system's misdirected response to gluten exposure, targeting your own intestinal tissue instead of just the gluten proteins. These antibodies indicate that your body is mounting an autoimmune attack against your small intestine whenever you consume wheat, barley, rye, or other gluten-containing foods, providing doctors with a valuable diagnostic tool for coeliac disease.
Every time you consume gluten-containing foods, your immune system decides whether to accept these proteins as harmless nutrients or attack them as foreign invaders. In people with coeliac disease, the immune system mistakenly creates antibodies against tissue transglutaminase, a substance (enzyme) in your intestinal lining, causing these antibodies to serve as reliable markers for this autoimmune condition that damages your small intestine and affects nutrient absorption.
Anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) IgA antibodies represent your immune system's misdirected response to gluten exposure, targeting your own intestinal tissue instead of just the gluten proteins. These antibodies indicate that your body is mounting an autoimmune attack against your small intestine whenever you consume wheat, barley, rye, or other gluten-containing foods, providing doctors with a valuable diagnostic tool for coeliac disease.
When Anti-tTG Antibodies Signal Coeliac Disease
When Anti-tTG Antibodies Signal Coeliac Disease
When Anti-tTG Antibodies Signal Coeliac Disease
Discover how positive antibody tests indicate autoimmune damage to your intestinal lining caused by gluten exposure.
Read more
What Coeliac Disease Does to Your Digestive System
What Coeliac Disease Does to Your Digestive System
What Coeliac Disease Does to Your Digestive System
Learn how this autoimmune condition damages your small intestine and affects your body's ability to absorb essential nutrients.
Read more
The Autoimmune Response to Gluten
The Autoimmune Response to Gluten
The Autoimmune Response to Gluten
Understanding how your immune system creates antibodies that attack your own tissues when exposed to gluten proteins.
Read more
Understanding Your Results
Understanding Your Results
Understanding Your Results
Decode your antibody levels and understand what elevated results mean for your diagnosis and dietary management.
Read more
When Anti-tTG Antibodies Signal Coeliac Disease
Elevated anti-tTG IgA antibodies indicate that your immune system is actively attacking your small intestine in response to gluten exposure, suggesting you may have coeliac disease. You might experience digestive symptoms like diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain, or weight loss as the ongoing autoimmune reaction attacks the lining of your intestine.
The intestinal damage caused by this autoimmune response reduces your body's ability to absorb nutrients from food, potentially leading to deficiencies in iron, vitamin D, B vitamins, and other essential nutrients. These deficiencies can cause symptoms beyond digestive problems, including fatigue, anaemia, bone pain, or skin rashes that might seem unrelated to your diet.
Coeliac disease can develop at any age, from early childhood through late adulthood, with symptoms varying significantly between individuals. Some people experience severe digestive symptoms with minimal gluten exposure, whilst others may have subtle symptoms or primarily non-digestive manifestations that make diagnosis more challenging.
The condition affects approximately 1% of the population, though many people remain undiagnosed because symptoms can be mild, intermittent, or attributed to other digestive conditions. Early diagnosis and treatment through strict gluten avoidance can prevent long-term complications and allow intestinal healing to occur.
When Anti-tTG Antibodies Signal Coeliac Disease
Elevated anti-tTG IgA antibodies indicate that your immune system is actively attacking your small intestine in response to gluten exposure, suggesting you may have coeliac disease. You might experience digestive symptoms like diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain, or weight loss as the ongoing autoimmune reaction attacks the lining of your intestine.
The intestinal damage caused by this autoimmune response reduces your body's ability to absorb nutrients from food, potentially leading to deficiencies in iron, vitamin D, B vitamins, and other essential nutrients. These deficiencies can cause symptoms beyond digestive problems, including fatigue, anaemia, bone pain, or skin rashes that might seem unrelated to your diet.
Coeliac disease can develop at any age, from early childhood through late adulthood, with symptoms varying significantly between individuals. Some people experience severe digestive symptoms with minimal gluten exposure, whilst others may have subtle symptoms or primarily non-digestive manifestations that make diagnosis more challenging.
The condition affects approximately 1% of the population, though many people remain undiagnosed because symptoms can be mild, intermittent, or attributed to other digestive conditions. Early diagnosis and treatment through strict gluten avoidance can prevent long-term complications and allow intestinal healing to occur.
When Anti-tTG Antibodies Signal Coeliac Disease
Elevated anti-tTG IgA antibodies indicate that your immune system is actively attacking your small intestine in response to gluten exposure, suggesting you may have coeliac disease. You might experience digestive symptoms like diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain, or weight loss as the ongoing autoimmune reaction attacks the lining of your intestine.
The intestinal damage caused by this autoimmune response reduces your body's ability to absorb nutrients from food, potentially leading to deficiencies in iron, vitamin D, B vitamins, and other essential nutrients. These deficiencies can cause symptoms beyond digestive problems, including fatigue, anaemia, bone pain, or skin rashes that might seem unrelated to your diet.
Coeliac disease can develop at any age, from early childhood through late adulthood, with symptoms varying significantly between individuals. Some people experience severe digestive symptoms with minimal gluten exposure, whilst others may have subtle symptoms or primarily non-digestive manifestations that make diagnosis more challenging.
The condition affects approximately 1% of the population, though many people remain undiagnosed because symptoms can be mild, intermittent, or attributed to other digestive conditions. Early diagnosis and treatment through strict gluten avoidance can prevent long-term complications and allow intestinal healing to occur.
What Coeliac Disease Does to Your Digestive System
Coeliac disease causes progressive damage to your small intestine's absorptive surface. This damage occurs gradually over time with continued gluten exposure, leading to malabsorption that can affect multiple body systems beyond just digestion.
The autoimmune inflammation triggered by gluten exposure affects the intestinal lining's ability to produce digestive enzymes, further impairing your capacity to break down and absorb nutrients from food. The effects can persist for months even after starting a gluten-free diet, requiring time for intestinal healing and enzyme production recovery.
Nutrient malabsorption can lead to various complications including iron deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis from poor calcium and vitamin D absorption, and neurological symptoms from B vitamin deficiencies. Understanding these broader effects helps explain why coeliac disease can cause such diverse symptoms throughout your body.
The intestinal damage also increases intestinal permeability, potentially allowing larger food particles and toxins to cross into your bloodstream and trigger additional immune responses. This increased permeability may contribute to the development of other autoimmune conditions that sometimes occur alongside coeliac disease.
What Coeliac Disease Does to Your Digestive System
Coeliac disease causes progressive damage to your small intestine's absorptive surface. This damage occurs gradually over time with continued gluten exposure, leading to malabsorption that can affect multiple body systems beyond just digestion.
The autoimmune inflammation triggered by gluten exposure affects the intestinal lining's ability to produce digestive enzymes, further impairing your capacity to break down and absorb nutrients from food. The effects can persist for months even after starting a gluten-free diet, requiring time for intestinal healing and enzyme production recovery.
Nutrient malabsorption can lead to various complications including iron deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis from poor calcium and vitamin D absorption, and neurological symptoms from B vitamin deficiencies. Understanding these broader effects helps explain why coeliac disease can cause such diverse symptoms throughout your body.
The intestinal damage also increases intestinal permeability, potentially allowing larger food particles and toxins to cross into your bloodstream and trigger additional immune responses. This increased permeability may contribute to the development of other autoimmune conditions that sometimes occur alongside coeliac disease.
What Coeliac Disease Does to Your Digestive System
Coeliac disease causes progressive damage to your small intestine's absorptive surface. This damage occurs gradually over time with continued gluten exposure, leading to malabsorption that can affect multiple body systems beyond just digestion.
The autoimmune inflammation triggered by gluten exposure affects the intestinal lining's ability to produce digestive enzymes, further impairing your capacity to break down and absorb nutrients from food. The effects can persist for months even after starting a gluten-free diet, requiring time for intestinal healing and enzyme production recovery.
Nutrient malabsorption can lead to various complications including iron deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis from poor calcium and vitamin D absorption, and neurological symptoms from B vitamin deficiencies. Understanding these broader effects helps explain why coeliac disease can cause such diverse symptoms throughout your body.
The intestinal damage also increases intestinal permeability, potentially allowing larger food particles and toxins to cross into your bloodstream and trigger additional immune responses. This increased permeability may contribute to the development of other autoimmune conditions that sometimes occur alongside coeliac disease.
The Autoimmune Response to Gluten
Your immune system normally distinguishes between harmful invaders and harmless food proteins, but in coeliac disease, this recognition system malfunctions when processing gluten. The immune system identifies gluten fragments as threats and creates antibodies that also target tissue transglutaminase, an enzyme involved in protein cross-linking in your intestinal wall.
Genetic factors play important roles in coeliac disease development, with specific gene variants (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8) present in most people with the condition. However, genetics alone don't determine who develops coeliac disease, as environmental factors and immune system triggers also contribute to disease onset.
The Autoimmune Response to Gluten
Your immune system normally distinguishes between harmful invaders and harmless food proteins, but in coeliac disease, this recognition system malfunctions when processing gluten. The immune system identifies gluten fragments as threats and creates antibodies that also target tissue transglutaminase, an enzyme involved in protein cross-linking in your intestinal wall.
Genetic factors play important roles in coeliac disease development, with specific gene variants (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8) present in most people with the condition. However, genetics alone don't determine who develops coeliac disease, as environmental factors and immune system triggers also contribute to disease onset.
The Autoimmune Response to Gluten
Your immune system normally distinguishes between harmful invaders and harmless food proteins, but in coeliac disease, this recognition system malfunctions when processing gluten. The immune system identifies gluten fragments as threats and creates antibodies that also target tissue transglutaminase, an enzyme involved in protein cross-linking in your intestinal wall.
Genetic factors play important roles in coeliac disease development, with specific gene variants (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8) present in most people with the condition. However, genetics alone don't determine who develops coeliac disease, as environmental factors and immune system triggers also contribute to disease onset.
Understanding Your Results
Anti-tTG IgA antibody levels are typically measured in units per millilitre, with specific ranges varying between laboratories. Understanding these ranges helps interpret whether your immune system is showing signs of autoimmune activity against your intestinal tissue:
Normal levels: <7 U/mL (may vary by laboratory)
Borderline elevated: 7-10 U/mL
Moderately elevated: 10-100 U/mL
Significantly elevated: >100 U/mL
These ranges reflect the likelihood of coeliac disease—normal levels suggest gluten tolerance, whilst elevated levels indicate increasing probability of autoimmune intestinal damage requiring further evaluation and potential dietary intervention.
Understanding Elevated Results
Moderately to significantly elevated anti-tTG antibodies strongly suggest coeliac disease, particularly when accompanied by compatible symptoms or family history. However, diagnosis may require additional testing including biopsy to confirm characteristic intestinal damage patterns, however is not necessarily required and is evaluated on a case by case basis given the invasive nature of a biopsy.
Very high antibody levels often correlate with more severe intestinal damage, though the relationship isn't perfectly predictable. Some people with mild symptoms can have very high antibodies, whilst others with significant symptoms might have only moderately elevated levels.
Factors Affecting Test Accuracy
Anti-tTG testing requires adequate IgA production to be reliable, so your doctor may also check total IgA levels to ensure you can produce sufficient antibodies for accurate testing. People with IgA deficiency may need alternative antibody tests for coeliac disease evaluation.
The test is most accurate when you're consuming gluten regularly, as antibody levels can decrease on gluten-free diets even before intestinal healing occurs. If you've already started avoiding gluten, your doctor may recommend gluten reintroduction before testing or proceeding directly to genetic testing and biopsy.
Follow-up and Monitoring
Positive anti-tTG results typically lead to gastroenterology referral for confirmation with a biopsy if necessary before recommending lifelong dietary changes. The biopsy can provide definitive evidence of characteristic intestinal damage patterns that confirm autoimmune gluten sensitivity especially if your case is uncertain.
After starting a gluten-free diet, anti-tTG levels typically decrease over months to years, making them useful for monitoring dietary adherence and treatment response.
Understanding Your Results
Anti-tTG IgA antibody levels are typically measured in units per millilitre, with specific ranges varying between laboratories. Understanding these ranges helps interpret whether your immune system is showing signs of autoimmune activity against your intestinal tissue:
Normal levels: <7 U/mL (may vary by laboratory)
Borderline elevated: 7-10 U/mL
Moderately elevated: 10-100 U/mL
Significantly elevated: >100 U/mL
These ranges reflect the likelihood of coeliac disease—normal levels suggest gluten tolerance, whilst elevated levels indicate increasing probability of autoimmune intestinal damage requiring further evaluation and potential dietary intervention.
Understanding Elevated Results
Moderately to significantly elevated anti-tTG antibodies strongly suggest coeliac disease, particularly when accompanied by compatible symptoms or family history. However, diagnosis may require additional testing including biopsy to confirm characteristic intestinal damage patterns, however is not necessarily required and is evaluated on a case by case basis given the invasive nature of a biopsy.
Very high antibody levels often correlate with more severe intestinal damage, though the relationship isn't perfectly predictable. Some people with mild symptoms can have very high antibodies, whilst others with significant symptoms might have only moderately elevated levels.
Factors Affecting Test Accuracy
Anti-tTG testing requires adequate IgA production to be reliable, so your doctor may also check total IgA levels to ensure you can produce sufficient antibodies for accurate testing. People with IgA deficiency may need alternative antibody tests for coeliac disease evaluation.
The test is most accurate when you're consuming gluten regularly, as antibody levels can decrease on gluten-free diets even before intestinal healing occurs. If you've already started avoiding gluten, your doctor may recommend gluten reintroduction before testing or proceeding directly to genetic testing and biopsy.
Follow-up and Monitoring
Positive anti-tTG results typically lead to gastroenterology referral for confirmation with a biopsy if necessary before recommending lifelong dietary changes. The biopsy can provide definitive evidence of characteristic intestinal damage patterns that confirm autoimmune gluten sensitivity especially if your case is uncertain.
After starting a gluten-free diet, anti-tTG levels typically decrease over months to years, making them useful for monitoring dietary adherence and treatment response.
Understanding Your Results
Anti-tTG IgA antibody levels are typically measured in units per millilitre, with specific ranges varying between laboratories. Understanding these ranges helps interpret whether your immune system is showing signs of autoimmune activity against your intestinal tissue:
Normal levels: <7 U/mL (may vary by laboratory)
Borderline elevated: 7-10 U/mL
Moderately elevated: 10-100 U/mL
Significantly elevated: >100 U/mL
These ranges reflect the likelihood of coeliac disease—normal levels suggest gluten tolerance, whilst elevated levels indicate increasing probability of autoimmune intestinal damage requiring further evaluation and potential dietary intervention.
Understanding Elevated Results
Moderately to significantly elevated anti-tTG antibodies strongly suggest coeliac disease, particularly when accompanied by compatible symptoms or family history. However, diagnosis may require additional testing including biopsy to confirm characteristic intestinal damage patterns, however is not necessarily required and is evaluated on a case by case basis given the invasive nature of a biopsy.
Very high antibody levels often correlate with more severe intestinal damage, though the relationship isn't perfectly predictable. Some people with mild symptoms can have very high antibodies, whilst others with significant symptoms might have only moderately elevated levels.
Factors Affecting Test Accuracy
Anti-tTG testing requires adequate IgA production to be reliable, so your doctor may also check total IgA levels to ensure you can produce sufficient antibodies for accurate testing. People with IgA deficiency may need alternative antibody tests for coeliac disease evaluation.
The test is most accurate when you're consuming gluten regularly, as antibody levels can decrease on gluten-free diets even before intestinal healing occurs. If you've already started avoiding gluten, your doctor may recommend gluten reintroduction before testing or proceeding directly to genetic testing and biopsy.
Follow-up and Monitoring
Positive anti-tTG results typically lead to gastroenterology referral for confirmation with a biopsy if necessary before recommending lifelong dietary changes. The biopsy can provide definitive evidence of characteristic intestinal damage patterns that confirm autoimmune gluten sensitivity especially if your case is uncertain.
After starting a gluten-free diet, anti-tTG levels typically decrease over months to years, making them useful for monitoring dietary adherence and treatment response.
The Takeaway
Anti-tTG IgA antibody testing provides valuable screening for coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition that can cause significant health problems if left untreated. Elevated antibodies indicate that your immune system is attacking your intestinal tissue in response to gluten exposure, requiring dietary modification to prevent ongoing damage.
If your anti-tTG antibodies are elevated, this suggests that gluten consumption may be triggering autoimmune damage to your small intestine that could be affecting your nutrient absorption and overall health. Understanding these results helps guide appropriate follow-up testing and dietary management to protect your digestive health.
Early detection and treatment of coeliac disease through strict gluten avoidance can prevent serious complications and allow your intestine to heal over time. Working with your healthcare team to interpret antibody results and pursue confirmatory testing ensures that any autoimmune intestinal damage receives appropriate treatment through dietary modification.
The Takeaway
Anti-tTG IgA antibody testing provides valuable screening for coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition that can cause significant health problems if left untreated. Elevated antibodies indicate that your immune system is attacking your intestinal tissue in response to gluten exposure, requiring dietary modification to prevent ongoing damage.
If your anti-tTG antibodies are elevated, this suggests that gluten consumption may be triggering autoimmune damage to your small intestine that could be affecting your nutrient absorption and overall health. Understanding these results helps guide appropriate follow-up testing and dietary management to protect your digestive health.
Early detection and treatment of coeliac disease through strict gluten avoidance can prevent serious complications and allow your intestine to heal over time. Working with your healthcare team to interpret antibody results and pursue confirmatory testing ensures that any autoimmune intestinal damage receives appropriate treatment through dietary modification.
The Takeaway
Anti-tTG IgA antibody testing provides valuable screening for coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition that can cause significant health problems if left untreated. Elevated antibodies indicate that your immune system is attacking your intestinal tissue in response to gluten exposure, requiring dietary modification to prevent ongoing damage.
If your anti-tTG antibodies are elevated, this suggests that gluten consumption may be triggering autoimmune damage to your small intestine that could be affecting your nutrient absorption and overall health. Understanding these results helps guide appropriate follow-up testing and dietary management to protect your digestive health.
Early detection and treatment of coeliac disease through strict gluten avoidance can prevent serious complications and allow your intestine to heal over time. Working with your healthcare team to interpret antibody results and pursue confirmatory testing ensures that any autoimmune intestinal damage receives appropriate treatment through dietary modification.
References
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2021). Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment and management. NICE Clinical Guideline.
British Society of Gastroenterology. (2020). Guidelines for coeliac disease diagnosis and management. BSG Practice Standards.
Coeliac UK. (2021). Diagnosis and monitoring of coeliac disease. Clinical Practice Guidelines.
References
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2021). Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment and management. NICE Clinical Guideline.
British Society of Gastroenterology. (2020). Guidelines for coeliac disease diagnosis and management. BSG Practice Standards.
Coeliac UK. (2021). Diagnosis and monitoring of coeliac disease. Clinical Practice Guidelines.
References
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2021). Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment and management. NICE Clinical Guideline.
British Society of Gastroenterology. (2020). Guidelines for coeliac disease diagnosis and management. BSG Practice Standards.
Coeliac UK. (2021). Diagnosis and monitoring of coeliac disease. Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Research articles
Research articles
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