dietary considerations before undertaking serological testing for Coeliac disease

Last reviewed 01/2018

• dietary considerations before testing for coeliac disease

  • for people undergoing investigations for coeliac disease:

    • any test is accurate only if a gluten-containing diet is eaten during the diagnostic process and
    • the person should be advised not to start a gluten-free diet until diagnosis is confirmed by a specialist, even if the results of a serological test are positive
      
      

    people who are following a normal diet (containing gluten) should be advised to eat some gluten in more than 1 meal every day for at least 6 weeks before testing.

    If people who have restricted their gluten intake or excluded gluten from their diet are reluctant or unable to re-introduce gluten into their diet before testing:

    • refer the person to a gastrointestinal specialist and
    • explain that it may be difficult to confirm their diagnosis by intestinal biopsy
      
      

    Do not offer serological testing for coeliac disease in infants before gluten has been introduced into the diet

Reference:

• NICE (September 2015). Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment and management.