A new blood test can detect celiac disease with 95 percent accuracy without requiring a biopsy, in what could be a breakthrough for diagnostic testing, Celiac.com reports.
An upcoming report, to be published in Gut, detailed results of the blood test.
The test has 95 percent sensitivity and specificity in detecting celiac disease. The test looks for the blood levels of anti-transglutaminase antibodies. People with celiac disease have higher levels of these antibodies.
Before the blood test, patients would often wait up to a decade from the time they first confirmed symptoms to a celiac diagnosis because of the process involved. Physicians previously had to perform duodenal biopsies to diagnose celiac disease. This blood test eliminates the need for a biopsy.