The desire for an at-home Celiac test has long been discussed here and on many other similar sites, but I hadn’t really heard anything official to support one being available soon.
Today I noticed a post over at Beyond Rice Cakes that discusses a Celiac Test Kit which should be available within the next year. This means people who have trouble finding a doctor that will test them for Celiac Disease will soon be able to take this test from their homes!
Vanessa had this to say about the test:
The test comes from 2G Pharma and was developed by two women who are best friends and worked for years in the corporate pharmaceutical world. Their closest friend was diagnosed with celiac disease after more than 10 years of severe suffering from celiac and almost bleeding to death from intestinal damage. The girls used all of their skills to develop a test that would prevent anyone from suffering the same pain their friend had while trying to get a celiac diagnosis.
So, how does the test work? The Biocard Celiac Test measures the presence of antibodies in the blood. Certain antibodies in a person’s blood indicate whether or not the body is having an immune system response to the presence of some foreign substance. For people with celiac disease, the foreign substance is gluten!
The test is simple and quick to administer! And, the company even created a video with step-by-step instructions so that you will be sure to take it correctly. Watch the video!
It appears the test should be as accurate as a doctor’s test and will cost about $50.00.
What are your thoughts on this? Is this a good thing?
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Dr. Osborne,
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I think this is a great advancement in the diagnosis and understanding of Celiac Disease. Keep on working at it. The people in pain with a real possibility of future illness because of a lack of diagnosis appreciate your efforts!
Kyle, that’s great! It will go a long way to help people who don’t have insurance coverage get tested! I know I would love to be able to give them to my family members so they can be tested (since they don’t have insurance, the tests can be very expensive).
I had heard there was a test kit availible in Canada, but do you know if this one will be availible in the US?
@ Kristi – I believe that Canada has been more proactive towards embracing a potential test, but I’m sure the United States will come around eventually.
We are still struggling to get doctors to realize just how common this disease is in the United States.
If you’re not in Canada, you can order the tests directly from the manufacturer. I have the information posted here:
http://celiacdisease.about.com/b/2008/10/28/at-home-test-for-celiac-disease-now-sold-in-canada.htm
-Nancy
Excellent! Thanks, Nancy!