A genetic test can tell you one genuinely useful thing about celiac disease, and it is not the thing most people expect. It cannot tell you that you have celiac disease. What it can do, when it comes back negative, is make celiac disease very unlikely — which is why doctors order it.
If you are holding a result and cannot tell what it means, pick it below. I am Katie, a registered nurse, and every figure on this page is sourced and dated.
What Does Your Result Say?
Pick the result your report shows and this will tell you what it means, what it rules out, and what to do next. If you are not sure which one you have, the last option walks you through finding it.
Before you read any result
- Genes are permission, not prophecy. Around 40 percent of the general population carries DQ2 or DQ8 and the large majority never develop celiac disease.
- A positive result cannot diagnose celiac disease. Only serology and, usually, a biopsy can — and both require that you are still eating gluten.
- A negative result is the genuinely useful one, but which test produced it matters. Comprehensive clinical HLA typing that finds no celiac-permissive genotype makes celiac disease very unlikely. 23andMe tests two tagging variants associated with DQ2.5 and DQ8; a result showing neither points the same way without carrying the same weight. Other consumer tests may cover additional HLA markers including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test.
- Do not start a gluten-free diet to prepare for testing. If you are currently eating gluten, do not stop before testing unless your clinician tells you to. If you are already gluten-free, do not restart gluten on your own — ask a clinician whether genetic testing or a clinician-guided gluten challenge is appropriate.
Very high susceptibility
Two copies of DQ2.5 (or DQ2.5 plus DQ2.2)
What it means
You carry the strongest known genetic susceptibility to celiac disease. DQ2.5 is built from DQA1*05 and DQB1*02, and you have either two copies of it or one copy plus a second DQB1*02 allele from a DQ2.2 haplotype.
Where this sits
Very high susceptibility — the top of the published genotype gradient, above a single copy of DQ2.5, which is itself above DQ8.
This is a ranking of genotypes against each other, not your personal probability of developing celiac disease. Most people in even this group never do.
What this rules out
Nothing. A positive genetic result cannot confirm or exclude celiac disease.
What to do next
If you have symptoms, or a first-degree relative with celiac disease, this is worth raising with a doctor. Ask about celiac serology, usually tTG-IgA together with total IgA. If IgA is low or deficient, IgG-based testing may be needed. Keep eating gluten until that blood test is done — and if you have already stopped, ask your clinician rather than restarting on your own.
If this came from a home DNA test
23andMe can report whether one or two copies of rs2187668, its DQ2.5 tagging variant, were detected. Two copies are consistent with two detected DQ2.5 tag copies. One copy cannot distinguish a single DQ2.5 from DQ2.5 plus an accompanying DQ2.2, because 23andMe does not test for DQ2.2. Either way, this is tag-SNP copy information rather than a complete clinical HLA genotype. Other consumer genetic tests may cover additional HLA markers, including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test that produced it.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
In Pietzak et al. (2009), a study of 10,191 people already at risk for celiac disease, 28.28 percent of this genotype group were positive for anti-endomysial antibodies — the highest of any group measured, and roughly three times the rate among people with a single copy of DQ2.5. That is an antibody marker measured in a selected at-risk cohort, not a rate of confirmed celiac disease in the general population.
- 28.28% EMA-positive among DQ2.5 homozygous / DQ2.2+DQ2.5 samples; n=10,191 at-risk US subjects (Pietzak et al., Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009)
- Homozygosity for DQ2.5, and DQ2.5 with a second DQB1*02, confer the highest risk
Intermediate susceptibility
One copy of DQ2.5
What it means
You carry one copy of DQ2.5, the haplotype found in the large majority of people with celiac disease. This is the most common way to be genetically susceptible.
Where this sits
Intermediate susceptibility — below the very-high and high-risk genotype combinations, but above a single copy of DQ8 or DQ2.2 alone.
A ranking, not a personal probability. Most people with this genotype never develop celiac disease.
What this rules out
Nothing. This result neither confirms nor excludes celiac disease.
What to do next
No action is needed on the genetics alone. If you have symptoms, or a first-degree relative with celiac disease, this is worth raising with a doctor. Ask about celiac serology, usually tTG-IgA together with total IgA. If IgA is low or deficient, IgG-based testing may be needed. Do that while still eating gluten; if you are already gluten-free, discuss it with your clinician first.
If this came from a home DNA test
A 23andMe report showing one copy of rs2187668 is consistent with one detected DQ2.5 tag copy. That is tag-SNP copy information, not a complete clinical HLA genotype: it does not establish which chromosome each allele sits on, and 23andMe does not test for DQ2.2. Other consumer genetic tests may cover additional HLA markers, including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test that produced it.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
In the same at-risk study, 9.09 percent of people with a single copy of DQ2.5 were positive for anti-endomysial antibodies, against 0.16 percent of people carrying neither DQ2 nor DQ8. Both figures come from a selected at-risk cohort and measure an antibody marker rather than confirmed disease.
- 9.09% EMA-positive among DQ2.5 heterozygous samples (Pietzak et al., Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009)
- ARUP risk stratification: DQ2.5 heterozygous = intermediate risk (>1:50). Also DQ2.5 homozygous very high (>1:10), DQ2.5+DQ8 and DQ8 homozygous high (>1:20), DQ8 heterozygous at risk (>1:100), DQB1*02 without DQA1*05 low, neither = not at risk
- DQ2.5 is carried by the large majority of celiac patients; DQA1*05 + DQB1*02 composition
At-risk genotype
One copy of DQ8
What it means
You carry one copy of DQ8, built from DQA1*03:01 and DQB1*03:02. DQ8 is the second celiac-associated haplotype and accounts for a minority of cases — most people with celiac disease carry DQ2 instead.
Where this sits
At-risk genotype — a recognized celiac-permissive result, but lower on the published gradient than DQ2.5 or the high-risk combined and double-dose genotypes.
A ranking, not a personal probability. Susceptibility here is real but lower than for DQ2.5.
What this rules out
Nothing. A positive result cannot confirm or exclude celiac disease.
What to do next
Same as any positive genetic result: it matters only alongside symptoms or family history. If either applies: Ask about celiac serology, usually tTG-IgA together with total IgA. If IgA is low or deficient, IgG-based testing may be needed. Keep eating gluten until it is done.
If this came from a home DNA test
A 23andMe report showing one copy of rs7454108, its DQ8 tagging variant, is consistent with this result. That is tag-SNP copy information rather than comprehensive HLA-DQA1/DQB1 typing, and 23andMe does not test for DQ2.2. Other consumer genetic tests may cover additional HLA markers, including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test that produced it.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
In the at-risk study, 2.11 percent of people with one copy of DQ8 were positive for anti-endomysial antibodies — above the 0.16 percent seen in people with neither haplotype, and markedly below the rates for DQ2.5. An antibody marker in a selected cohort, not confirmed disease.
- 2.11% EMA-positive among DQ8 heterozygous samples (Pietzak et al., Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009)
- ARUP risk stratification: DQ8 heterozygous = at risk (>1:100), the category below intermediate
- DQ8 is encoded by DQA1*03:01 and DQB1*03:02
High susceptibility
Two copies of DQ8
What it means
You carry two copies of DQ8. As with DQ2.5, a second copy raises susceptibility relative to a single copy.
Where this sits
High susceptibility. A second copy of DQ8 raises susceptibility relative to one copy — a gene-dose association.
The gene-dose association is the informative part, not any absolute number. This is a ranking rather than a personal probability.
What this rules out
Nothing. A positive result cannot confirm or exclude celiac disease.
What to do next
Worth mentioning to a doctor alongside any symptoms or family history. Ask about celiac serology, usually tTG-IgA together with total IgA. If IgA is low or deficient, IgG-based testing may be needed. Keep eating gluten until tested.
If this came from a home DNA test
23andMe can report two copies of rs7454108, its DQ8 tagging variant, which is consistent with this result. It still does not equal comprehensive HLA-DQA1/DQB1 typing, and 23andMe does not test for DQ2.2. Other consumer genetic tests may cover additional HLA markers, including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test that produced it.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
In the at-risk study, 8.42 percent of DQ8 homozygotes were positive for anti-endomysial antibodies, against 2.11 percent of DQ8 heterozygotes. Both are antibody-marker rates in a selected at-risk cohort rather than rates of confirmed celiac disease.
- 8.42% EMA-positive among DQ8 homozygotes vs 2.11% heterozygotes (Pietzak et al., Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009)
High susceptibility
DQ2.5 and DQ8 together
What it means
You carry both celiac-associated haplotypes, one copy of each. Both of the molecules that can present gluten fragments to the immune system are present.
Where this sits
High susceptibility. Carrying both places you above a single copy of either one.
Reported figures for this combination differ between studies more than for the single-haplotype groups, so we give the ranking rather than a number we would have to over-claim.
What this rules out
Nothing. A positive result cannot confirm or exclude celiac disease.
What to do next
Discuss with a doctor if you have symptoms or a first-degree relative with celiac disease. Ask about celiac serology, usually tTG-IgA together with total IgA. If IgA is low or deficient, IgG-based testing may be needed. Do that while still eating gluten.
If this came from a home DNA test
A 23andMe report detecting both tagging variants corresponds to this. It can report one or two copies of each, but that is tag-SNP copy information rather than a complete clinical HLA genotype: it does not establish which chromosome each allele sits on, and 23andMe does not test for DQ2.2. Other consumer genetic tests may cover additional HLA markers, including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test that produced it.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
The published gradients consistently rank multi-copy and combined genotypes above single-copy DQ8 and single-copy DQ2.5, though the exact ordering varies between cohorts. We do not quote a single percentage for this group because the studies do not agree closely enough to justify one.
- Risk gradient across DQ2.5, DQ2.2 and DQ8 genotype combinations
- Per-genotype EMA positivity used for the relative ranking (Pietzak et al. 2009)
Low susceptibility
DQ2.2 only, without DQ2.5
What it means
You carry DQB1*02 but not the DQA1*05 allele that pairs with it to form DQ2.5. This is often reported loosely as being "DQ2 positive", which overstates it — DQ2.2 on its own is a much weaker susceptibility than DQ2.5.
Where this sits
Low susceptibility — a low-risk category, not a no-risk one. DQ2.2 alone carries substantially lower susceptibility than DQ2.5, but it does not completely exclude celiac disease. Its main significance is as a second DQB1*02 alongside DQ2.5, where it raises risk further.
This is the result most often misread. If a report says only "DQ2 positive", it is worth asking the lab whether that means DQ2.5 or DQ2.2 — they mean different things.
What this rules out
Not a negative result. Celiac disease is less likely than with DQ2.5, but this does not exclude it, and a small number of patients carry only half of DQ2.5.
What to do next
If symptoms point at celiac disease, serology is still the right test. Ask about celiac serology, usually tTG-IgA together with total IgA. If IgA is low or deficient, IgG-based testing may be needed. Ask your doctor or the testing lab to confirm exactly which DQ2 subtype was found.
If this came from a home DNA test
23andMe will not produce this result — its celiac report tests tagging variants for DQ2.5 and DQ8 only, and does not test for DQ2.2. A DQ2.2-only result comes from clinical HLA typing, or from a consumer test that covers DQ2.2 specifically. Other consumer genetic tests may cover additional HLA markers, including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test that produced it.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
DQ2.2 without DQ2.5 sits near the bottom of the published risk gradient, above carrying neither haplotype. A minority of confirmed celiac patients carry only half of the DQ2.5 heterodimer, which is why this category is described as low risk rather than no risk.
- DQ2.2 confers lower risk alone; raises risk when carried alongside DQ2.5
- A minority of celiac patients carry only half of DQ2.5-trans (Pallav et al., Dig Dis Sci 2014)
Not genetically at risk
Neither DQ2 nor DQ8
What it means
If this came from comprehensive clinical HLA typing, no common celiac-permissive genotype was found. If it came from 23andMe, neither of its two tested tagging variants was detected; that points away from celiac disease but is not the same as comprehensive HLA typing. Either way this is the most clinically useful result the test can produce, and the reason the test exists.
Where this sits
Not genetically at risk, on comprehensive clinical HLA typing. Approximately 90 percent of people with celiac disease carry DQ2.5, most of the remainder carry DQ8, and a minority carry DQ2.2 or other rare permissive combinations.
Very unlikely is not impossible. A small number of confirmed cases carry no common permissive haplotype, so a negative result is not a license to ignore serious ongoing symptoms.
What this rules out
Comprehensive clinical HLA typing that finds no celiac-permissive genotype is the one result that meaningfully rules celiac disease out. The American College of Gastroenterology recommends HLA typing specifically to exclude celiac disease before putting someone through a formal gluten challenge. A 23andMe result showing neither of its two tagging variants points the same way, but it tests only those two and should not be given the same negative predictive value. Other home tests cover more markers, so what a negative means depends on which test produced it.
What to do next
If this came from clinical typing and you have persistent symptoms, they are worth investigating — but celiac disease is now an unlikely explanation and other causes deserve the attention. If it came from a home test and the answer will change a medical decision, ask a doctor about clinical HLA-DQ typing. Either way, non-celiac gluten sensitivity is not ruled out by this result; it has no genetic marker.
If this came from a home DNA test
This is the result where the difference between tests matters most. A 23andMe result showing neither of its two tagging variants points away from celiac disease, but it tests only those two and does not test for DQ2.2, so it is not equivalent to a clinical report finding no permissive genotype. Other consumer genetic tests may cover additional HLA markers, including DQ2.2 and DQ7, so read any result against the specific test that produced it. If a negative result is going to change what you or your doctor do next, get clinical HLA-DQ typing.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
In the at-risk study, 0.16 percent of people carrying neither DQ2 nor DQ8 were antibody-positive; that group was 42.03 percent of the cohort. The negative predictive value above 99 percent cited in professional guidance refers to comprehensive HLA typing, not to a consumer two-variant result.
- 0.16% EMA-positive among samples lacking both DQ2 and DQ8; 42.03% of the cohort (Pietzak et al. 2009)
- ACG 2023: HLA-DQ2/DQ8 genotyping to exclude celiac disease before a formal gluten challenge (strong recommendation, high evidence); negative predictive value >99% for comprehensive HLA typing
- Approximately 90% of celiac patients carry DQ2.5, most of the remainder DQ8, a minority DQ2.2 or other rare permissive combinations
Finding your result
I am not sure what my report says
What it means
Which document you have decides what you can learn from it. A clinical HLA typing report names the genotype outright. 23andMe's celiac report reads two tagging variants; other home tests, such as the FDA-cleared GlutenID, genotype more markers including DQ2.2 and DQ7. A raw data file contains variants but no interpretation.
Where this sits
23andMe's celiac report reads two tagging variants: rs2187668, which tags DQ2.5, and rs7454108, which tags DQ8. Ancestry stopped selling health reports on 15 January 2021 and produces no celiac report, though its raw data download may contain the same variants.
A tagging variant stands in for a haplotype. It is a reliable proxy but not the same thing as having HLA-DQA1 and DQB1 typed, and 23andMe's celiac report does not identify DQ2.2 or other relevant alleles. Read any result against the specific test that produced it.
What this rules out
Nothing on its own — find the result first, then read the matching section.
What to do next
On a clinical report, look for DQA1 and DQB1 with allele numbers. On a 23andMe report, look under health predispositions for celiac disease. On a raw data file from any provider, search for rs2187668 and rs7454108 — not every file or test version will contain both. If none of that is available, your doctor can order HLA-DQ typing directly.
If this came from a home DNA test
If a report gives only "DQ2 positive" with no subtype, ask the lab whether it found DQ2.5 or DQ2.2. The two carry very different weight.
Research details — the numbers behind this ranking
A tag SNP is a common variant that travels with a haplotype closely enough to stand in for it. rs2187668 sits in HLA-DQA1 and tags DQ2.5; rs7454108 sits near HLA-DQB1 and tags DQ8. Clinical typing reads the HLA genes themselves, which is what allows it to report a full genotype including DQ2.2.
- 23andMe's celiac report is indicated for rs2187668 (tags HLA-DQ2.5) and rs7454108 (tags HLA-DQ8); the page describes which variants are read and does not describe DQ2.2 reporting
- GlutenID (Targeted Genomics) is an FDA-cleared direct-to-consumer celiac genetic test evaluating markers associated with DQ2.5, DQ8, DQ7 and DQ2.2 by NGS, reporting one of fifteen genotype combinations
- Ancestry no longer offers AncestryHealth; discontinued 15 January 2021
How This Page Was Built
This is health information, so the working is shown: where each number comes from, what it actually measures, and the two things we got wrong before checking.
Show the sources, the wording choices, and what we corrected
Where the numbers come from
Every figure on this page traces to one of these. They are listed once here rather than repeated under each result, so the page stays inside its external-link budget.
- 28.28% EMA-positive among DQ2.5 homozygous / DQ2.2+DQ2.5 samples
- Homozygosity for DQ2.5, and DQ2.5 with a second DQB1*02, confer the highest risk
- ARUP risk stratification: DQ2.5 heterozygous = intermediate risk (>1:50). Also DQ2.5 homozygous very high (>1:10), DQ2.5+DQ8 and DQ8 homozygous high (>1:20), DQ8 heterozygous at risk (>1:100), DQB1*02 without DQA1*05 low, neither = not at risk
- DQ8 is encoded by DQA1*03:01 and DQB1*03:02
- A minority of celiac patients carry only half of DQ2.5-trans (Pallav et al., Dig Dis Sci 2014)
- ACG 2023: HLA-DQ2/DQ8 genotyping to exclude celiac disease before a formal gluten challenge (strong recommendation, high evidence)
- 23andMe's celiac report is indicated for rs2187668 (tags HLA-DQ2.5) and rs7454108 (tags HLA-DQ8)
Why the percentages are not in your result
The per-genotype percentages come from a study of more than ten thousand people who were already at risk for celiac disease, and they measure an antibody marker rather than biopsy-confirmed disease. That makes them excellent for ranking genotypes against each other and wrong as a personal probability.
They used to sit in the result panel with a caveat attached. Katie’s review took them out: even labeled, a number that looks like a percentage chance gets read as one. So each result now gives a qualitative category — the very high / high / intermediate / low / not at risk vocabulary clinical references use — and the figures are one click away under Research details for anyone who wants to check the working.
Home tests versus clinical HLA typing
23andMe’s celiac report reads two tagging variants — common variants that travel with DQ2.5 and DQ8 closely enough to stand in for them — and can tell you whether one or two copies of each were detected. Clinical typing reads the HLA genes themselves.
The limitation is not counting, then; it is what the tags cannot see. 23andMe does not test for DQ2.2, and two tagging variants cannot establish which chromosome each allele sits on. The negative predictive value above 99 percent that professional guidance cites belongs to comprehensive typing, which is why the negative result on this page describes the two kinds of test separately.
“Home test” is not a synonym for 23andMe, and this page used to write as though it were. GlutenID, an FDA-cleared direct-to-consumer test, evaluates markers associated with DQ2.5, DQ8, DQ7 and DQ2.2 and reports one of fifteen genotype combinations. So every statement here about reading only two variants is specifically about 23andMe — read any result against the test that produced it.
Two things we got wrong first
A widely cited 2018 review prints the DQ8 alleles incorrectly, listing a DQ2 beta allele in place of the DQ8 one. We checked it against two other sources before writing the allele names down.
We also assumed readers would arrive holding either a 23andMe or an Ancestry health report. Ancestry discontinued its health product in January 2021 and publishes no celiac report at all, so the walkthrough sends Ancestry customers to their raw data instead. We state that without a link because the company’s own pages block our checker, and we do not cite pages we cannot read.
Terms used above
- Tag Snp — A single common variant that travels with a haplotype closely enough to stand in for it. 23andMe's celiac report reads two tag SNPs; a clinical lab types the HLA genes themselves. A tag SNP is a good proxy, not the same test, and other consumer tests may genotype more markers directly.
- Ema — Anti-endomysial antibody, a blood marker highly specific for celiac disease. EMA-positive is not the same as biopsy-confirmed celiac.
- Cis Trans — DQ2.5 can sit on one chromosome (cis) or be assembled from alleles on both (trans). Both produce the same at-risk molecule. Knowing which requires typing and phasing, not a single tagging variant.
What this page is not
It is not a screening tool, a risk calculator, or a diagnosis. It reads back a result you already have. Celiac disease is confirmed by blood tests and usually a biopsy, ordered by a doctor, while you are still eating gluten.
Data last verified:
Cite or Link to This Page
Writing about celiac genetics, or pointing a patient at a plain-language explainer? Please link rather than copy, so readers get the current wording and the current review date.
Data last verified: . Please cite the verification date — this page is maintained and its figures change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a positive celiac gene test mean I have celiac disease?
No. Roughly 40 percent of the general population carries DQ2 or DQ8, and the large majority never develop celiac disease. The genes make it possible, not likely. Diagnosis needs blood tests and usually a biopsy, done while you are still eating gluten.
If I test negative for DQ2 and DQ8, can I stop worrying about celiac disease?
It depends which test gave you that answer. Approximately 90 percent of people with celiac disease carry DQ2.5, most of the remainder carry DQ8, and a minority carry DQ2.2 or other rare permissive combinations. For comprehensive clinical HLA typing that finds no permissive genotype, professional guidance puts the negative predictive value above 99 percent — that is the result doctors rely on to exclude celiac disease. A consumer test showing neither of its two tagging variants points the same way, but it is a proxy and does not carry that same weight. Either way it says nothing about non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which has no genetic marker, and persistent symptoms still deserve investigation.
Can 23andMe tell me if I have celiac disease?
No. Its celiac report reads two tagging variants that stand in for DQ2.5 and DQ8, and it can tell you whether one or two copies of each were detected. That is useful tag-SNP information, but it is not a complete clinical HLA genotype: 23andMe does not test for DQ2.2, two tags cannot establish which chromosome each allele sits on, and no genetic test diagnoses celiac disease. Other home tests differ — GlutenID, for instance, is FDA-cleared and covers DQ2.5, DQ8, DQ7 and DQ2.2 — so read your result against the test that produced it. If the answer will change a medical decision, ask a doctor for clinical HLA-DQ typing.
My report just says DQ2 positive. Is that enough?
Not really, and this is the most common source of confusion. DQ2.5 and DQ2.2 are both reported loosely as DQ2, and they carry very different weight — DQ2.5 is the main celiac haplotype, while DQ2.2 on its own sits near the bottom of the risk gradient. Ask the lab which subtype it found.
Should I go gluten-free while I wait for testing?
If you are currently eating gluten, do not stop before testing unless your clinician tells you to. Celiac blood tests and biopsies only work while gluten is still in your diet, and going gluten-free first can turn a clear result into an ambiguous one.
If you have already stopped, do not restart gluten on your own. Ask a clinician whether a gluten challenge is appropriate for you — it has requirements and effects worth discussing before you begin, and it is not something to improvise.
Should my children be tested because I carry the gene?
Worth asking a doctor rather than deciding from a web page. Celiac disease is meaningfully more common in first-degree relatives than in the general population, so family history is a real reason to discuss testing. Whether to start with genetics or go straight to serology depends on the child, and a doctor should make that call.
Medically reviewed and last updated 2026-08-20.