Ajax Harwood Clinic
Celiac testing: should I be tested?
Celiac disease
Celiac disease is a real illness. Your immune system attacks your gut when you eat gluten. Gluten is in wheat, barley, and rye. It can cause stomach pain, bloating, or diarrhea. Some people have no gut symptoms at all. It can also cause low iron, tiredness, or weight loss. A blood test checks for celiac antibodies. You must still be eating gluten when tested, or the test can be wrong. If the blood test is positive, a small gut sample confirms it. This is called a biopsy. If someone suggested testing you for celiac disease, that is often a good call. It is easy to miss. Once found, a strict gluten-free diet is the only treatment.
Tests you may hear about
Non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity (NCGS)
Some people feel much better when they stop eating gluten, even though they do not have celiac disease. This is called non-celiac gluten or wheat sensitivity. It is a real pattern, but there is no blood test for it. Doctors diagnose it by first ruling out celiac disease and wheat allergy. You need to still be eating gluten for those tests to work. After that, a supervised food trial checks if gluten truly causes your symptoms. Many people who feel better gluten-free are reacting to something else in wheat, like FODMAPs, not gluten itself. Either way, your symptoms are real and worth working through carefully.
Tests you may hear about
Worth asking
Questions you could bring to your doctor:
- Do my symptoms or family history mean I should be tested for celiac disease?
- Do I need to keep eating gluten before I get tested?
- If my celiac test is negative, could this be gluten sensitivity instead?
- What else could explain my symptoms besides celiac disease?
- What new symptoms mean I should come back for more testing?
Next steps
Curious what your doctor is weighing up? The clinical page we use for this is open to anyone — it is detailed and written for clinicians, and you are welcome to read it.
Open the clinician reference →Did a naturopath recommend specific tests? Look each one up — what it measures and whether it is usually needed.
Look up a lab test →Want more? Explore the full AHC health library.
Go to ask.ajaxharwoodclinic.com →This is health information and screening — not a diagnosis. Please discuss results with your doctor. In an emergency call 911.