tTG Antibodies: What They Mean for Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity

When your body reacts to gluten, it might start producing tTG antibodies, antibodies that target tissue transglutaminase, an enzyme in the small intestine. Also known as anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies, these are one of the most reliable signs that your immune system is attacking your own gut lining because of gluten exposure. This isn’t just a simple allergy—it’s an autoimmune response, and tTG antibodies are the fingerprint of celiac disease.

People with celiac disease don’t just get an upset stomach after eating bread. Their immune system sees gluten as an invader and sends out tTG antibodies to fight it. Those antibodies accidentally target tissue transglutaminase, a protein that helps repair the gut. Over time, this damages the tiny finger-like projections in the small intestine called villi, which are responsible for absorbing nutrients. That’s why people with untreated celiac disease often have fatigue, weight loss, anemia, or even neurological symptoms like brain fog. The good news? If you catch it early and go gluten-free, your gut can heal—and tTG antibody levels will drop. But if you ignore the test and keep eating gluten, the damage piles up, raising your risk for other autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, and even certain cancers.

Not everyone with high tTG antibodies has celiac disease. Some people with type 1 diabetes, liver disease, or heart failure can also show elevated levels, though usually not as high. That’s why doctors don’t rely on this test alone. They combine it with other blood markers like total IgA, EMA antibodies, and often a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. And if you’ve already cut out gluten before testing? The results can be falsely normal. That’s why testing before going gluten-free matters. Even if you feel better without bread, you need the right diagnosis to manage your long-term health.

There’s also a group of people who don’t have celiac disease but still react to gluten—called non-celiac gluten sensitivity. They won’t have high tTG antibodies, but they might still get bloating, headaches, or joint pain after eating wheat. This is harder to test for, which is why many end up self-diagnosing. But if you’re experiencing symptoms, knowing whether tTG antibodies are present helps rule out celiac before trying other approaches.

The posts below cover real-world cases where people struggled with symptoms, got tested, misunderstood their results, or switched medications that made things worse. You’ll find guides on how to talk to your doctor about antibody testing, what to do if your results are borderline, why some people test negative but still have damage, and how other conditions like sulfonamide allergies or penicillin labels can confuse the picture. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, still searching for answers, or helping someone else navigate this, these articles give you the facts without the fluff.