Fecal Occult Moderate In Paediatric Patient

[valerieanne]

I recently posted in the DH thread... My dd10 was diagnosed with DH almost five years ago, and we've been gluten-free since (I have celiac disease). Her annual cbc results are always borderline anemic/low iron, explained as 'her normal'. A new doctor this year ordered the fecal occult, which showed moderate levels of microscopic rbcs. She suspected a dairy protein allergy, and prescribed a dairy-free diet for three weeks, to be followed by repeat and additional tests.

We are one week into the GFDF diet, and ended up in emerg today. Dd had a head-toe rash. It was not DHish, but appeared to be an allergic rxn to something that was added/increased in her diet over the last week. Sigh. We are going back to our regular gluten-free diet, and I've requested a referral to an allergist.

My question is: Can trace amounts of gluten cause moderate levels of microscopic rbcs to show up in a fecal? I can't find this anywhere, but it seems it would be the obvious explanation. I've moved all of my husband's gluten foods into his office, reexamined every food item in the house, cleaned and sanitized...I think it is very possible that cross-contamination was happening. AND I found one food item (tortilla chips) that did not have gluten in their ingredients or allergen alert, but could be cross-contaminated at the factory.

TIA