Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com!
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Anemia/vitamin Deficiency Without Villi Damage?

mars817

Recommended Posts

mars817 Rookie
mars817
Posted

If an endoscopy showed no damage to the villi could there still be deficiency problems? I'm wondering if I have celiacs because I have most of the symptoms and having very bad anemia and other vitamin deficiencies but my tests came back ok. Trying to figure out if the cause could still be celiacs without having the villi show damage?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Did you have the blood work for Celiac? Get a copy of the pathology and procedure reports and the blood work (if done). Read it yourself. See how many biposies were taken. It is quite common for a doctor to miss the spots with the damage which is why they should take at least 6 samples of the intestine. See if the doc even read the results. Or even biopsied the correct places.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AandGsmomma Apprentice
AandGsmomma
Posted

I have vitamin deficiancy and anemia but my biospy came back fine. However with my biopsy they only looked at the top part of the intestine and only took a few samples. My blood work also was negative, but Im IGA and IGG deficient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mars817 Rookie
mars817
  • Author
Posted

My bloodwork was negative. It was my general surgeon, he did a colonoscopy and endoscopy and he only took one sample, so maybe it was incorrect? I don't know if he really knew what he was doing or just took a random sample because I asked about it. He did say everything looked fine to him. I got copy of the results but I need to find them, my husband might have threw them out. grr.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mars817 Rookie
mars817
  • Author
Posted

I have vitamin deficiancy and anemia but my biospy came back fine. However with my biopsy they only looked at the top part of the intestine and only took a few samples. My blood work also was negative, but Im IGA and IGG deficient.

What does that mean to be IGA and IGG deficient? How would I know that? I seem to be deficient on everything else!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rosetapper23 Explorer
rosetapper23
Posted

It's very common for the biopsies to come back negative even though there is villi damage (according to celiac expert Dr. Alessio Fasano) because either the scope wasn't long enough to reach the damage sections, the surgeon did not biopsy the damaged sections, or the pathologist was either incompetent or unskilled in reading the results. If you B12 anemia, you can take sublingual B12, and if you have iron anemia, you can request to receive iron intravenously (if you're unable to absorb it). Some doctors are unaware that intravenous iron is available, but it is. If you're having difficulties absorbing Vitamin D, Country Life sells Natural Vitamin D, which also contains the proper ratio of Vitamin D and medium-chain triglycerides to help you absorb it. You might also consider taking digestive enzymes and L-glutamine to help heal your gut.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mars817 Rookie
mars817
  • Author
Posted

It's very common for the biopsies to come back negative even though there is villi damage (according to celiac expert Dr. Alessio Fasano) because either the scope wasn't long enough to reach the damage sections, the surgeon did not biopsy the damaged sections, or the pathologist was either incompetent or unskilled in reading the results. If you B12 anemia, you can take sublingual B12, and if you have iron anemia, you can request to receive iron intravenously (if you're unable to absorb it). Some doctors are unaware that intravenous iron is available, but it is. If you're having difficulties absorbing Vitamin D, Country Life sells Natural Vitamin D, which also contains the proper ratio of Vitamin D and medium-chain triglycerides to help you absorb it. You might also consider taking digestive enzymes and L-glutamine to help heal your gut.

Thanks! I am getting b12 shots weekly, they have talked iron infusions but I have not been refered to a hematologist yet, waiting on a pill cam study. My surgeon is convienced I have a bleed or something in part of my intestines they couldn't see, but doesn't think celiacs since my blood test was negative.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi Mars the Red planet,

Yes, you can have celiac damage even if a biopsy doesn't show it. The small intestine is around 20 to 22 feet long, and the endoscopy probe can only reach the first 5 feet or so. There's a lot of unexplored territory there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Most sufferers of autoimmune diseases have deficiencies in vitamins and minerals; D, B12, iron and calcium are commonly low in things like hypothyroidism, Lupus and others.

Conversely, you can have AI diseases and have great blood work. I have celiac, ITP, and hashimotos and I have fantastic blood work, cholesterol, iron and my B12 is above the normal range. I was slightly low in D but still well within normal range so I tripled my D supplements.

Non celiac gluten intolerant people have the same symptoms as celiacs as well as many of the same deficiencies.... As far as I can tell, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to this area... frustrating as that is.

Best wishes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AandGsmomma Apprentice
AandGsmomma
Posted

The total IGA and Total IGG were part of my celiac panel. It also included the normal ranges. Since I dont make enough IGA the test results are useless since they are based on an IGA reaction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
Megan1980 Newbie
Megan1980
Posted

Most sufferers of autoimmune diseases have deficiencies in vitamins and minerals; D, B12, iron and calcium are commonly low in things like hypothyroidism, Lupus and others.

Conversely, you can have AI diseases and have great blood work. I have celiac, ITP, and hashimotos and I have fantastic blood work, cholesterol, iron and my B12 is above the normal range. I was slightly low in D but still well within normal range so I tripled my D supplements.

Non celiac gluten intolerant people have the same symptoms as celiacs as well as many of the same deficiencies.... As far as I can tell, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to this area... frustrating as that is.

Best wishes.

Do you have a source for the information that non-celiac gluten intolerance can cause deficiencies, because I've been looking for that info everywhere and haven't been able to find it.

I have symptoms that fit with Hashimoto's and celiac but my celiac panel came back negative as did my thyroid antibodies. The only thing my blood shows is low vitamin d (though I've been taking it for years) and low ferritin. Also I had a low BUN score which when I looked up it said it was either from a low protein diet or malabsorption. I do not have a low protein diet.

I'd love to get some answers! At this point I've been told I have somatization, but I know that's not the case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,989
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    DanielleMM
    Newest Member
    DanielleMM
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • TessaBaker
      Hair loss

      By TessaBaker · Posted

      It sounds like you're dealing with a complex situation, and I can understand how frustrating it must be not to have a clear answer. Gut health can indeed play a significant role in various aspects of our well-being, including hair health.
    • Celiac16
      Thiamine supplementation

      By Celiac16 · Posted

      I have found similar benefits from thiamine. I was diagnosed with celiac at 16 and never really recovered despite strict gluten and dairy free diet and no detectable antibodies on checkup bloodworks. I’ve tried stopping the b1 but start to feel bad again- I wanted my doctors to do more extensive testing for the different thiamine transporters and enzymes which would be a better indication if I was deficient or dependent on it but everyone dismisses it (there are know genetic mutations where you need to take it daily for life). I have looked into Thiamine Responsive Megablast Anemia and I have a lot of the more mild symptoms of the disease that manifest when thiamine isn’t given to the patient such as optic neuritis… I just find the parallels interesting. i think that celiacs could be a side issue of inflammation that resulted from vitamin deficiencies. I was eating a lot of sugar leading up to my diagnosis and since eating gluten free didn’t make me feel much better, I’m wondering if this was more the underlying issue (sugar heavily depletes b1). I usually take 1.5g thiamine a day.
    • Fluka66
      Waiting for urgent referral.

      By Fluka66 · Posted

      Thank you for your welcome and reply.  Yes I've been carefully reading labels looking for everything in bold and have been amazed by what I have seen. However Heinz tomato and basil soup is wheat free so I m thinking I already have ulcers?  The acid could be causing the pain . My pain always starts in one place then follows the same route through me . GP confirmed that is the route of our digestive system.  So much pain from stabbing to tearing. If I throw in milk with lactose it's horrific.  Many years of it now, won't go into details but been seeing a consultant for a supposedly different problem . Wondering what damage has been done over the years. Many thanks for your reply. Wishing you the very best.    
    • trents
      Waiting for urgent referral.

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum community, @Fluka66! Did you realize that the vast majority of all canned soups use wheat starch as a thickener, including such common commodities as Campbell's tomato soup?
    • Fluka66
      Waiting for urgent referral.

      By Fluka66 · Posted

      Hello. Any help would really steady my nerves right now. I realised recently that certain food left me in agonising pain so eliminated from my diet. I also have a swollen lymph node. My very caring Dr did some blood tests and I went back the other day to see another equally caring Dr . She looked at the test results one result has come back with something wrong. It came very fast so I'm afraid I didn't catch what it was. Anyway the urgent referral to ENT. She did say as I had already eliminated gluten it wouldn't say anything on the results and neither Drs nor I were prepared to reintroduce gluten . I've just had some tomato soup and again in agony only thinking this must have aggravated maybe existing problems. Does anyone know what I'm facing now ? My swollen lymph node , pain when eating gluten and lactose and I'm assuming the acidity of tomatoes triggering pain.  I'm trying to stay calm and to be honest I've been in intolerable pain at times rendering me unable to stand up straight but I've always just got on with it . Guess I'm reaching out and would really appreciate any wise or unwise words at this stage. Wishing you all the very best as you live with this illness. Fluka66  
×
×
  • Create New...