How often should a patient or family member of a patient have a repeat blood test if their test was negative?
If your physician has a strong suspicion that you have celiac disease, even with a negative blood test s/he may perform an endoscopy with biopsy, as up to 5% of patients with celiac disease may have a falsely negative blood test. If the blood test and biopsy are normal then you do not have celiac disease and there is no need for repeat testing unless your symptoms change. For an adult relative of a patient with celiac disease, there is no need to repeat a blood test unless the relative starts to develop symptoms of celiac disease. Children, however, may need to be tested regularly, and should see a pediatric gastroenterologist.
Related Questions
- If a patient had a negative result with a non-treponemal test for syphilis more than six months after the tissue was implanted, do they also need to have a treponemal test?
- If a symptomatic patient has a negative genetic test result, does it mean the patient is not affected with the tested disorder?
- My patient said he missed his dose of oxycodone last night, should the test result be negative?
