Can treatment for Giardia reverse active Celiac

[Sugarcube]

Hi,

In a nutshell, encouraged by a >84% reduction in my tTg IgA level (4 weeks after treating giardia), I was wondering if celiac can reverse into latent celiac after treating Giardia? If so over what time period?

I’m a male in my 30s, with no family history of Celiac and I have not experienced any major celiac related symptoms.

In December 2015, I was diagnosed with Giardia (after a biopsy) and completed a course of a antibiotics

Although only a month has passed since taking the antibotics, I have noticed a major change in my blood tests results.  Does it seem possible that my celiac is becoming gradually latent rather than active? Perhaps Giardia led me to become temporarily gluten sensitive?

July 2015: Contracted Giardia from Asia.

August 2015: Blood tests (With Giardia) , whilst on a normal gluten diet

• Endomysial AB IGA: Positive
• Gliadin IgG: Negative: 4.5 U/ml (Negative reference range <7)
• Gliadin IgA:  Borderline/Equivocal:  8.8 U/ml (Negative reference range <7, Equivocal: 7 - 10)
• t-Transglutaminase IgA:Positive: >128 U/ml (Normal reference range 0 - 10)
• Reticulin IgA:  Positive
• IGA: 3.35 g/L (Reference range 0.70-4.00)

January 2016: (Post treatment for Giardia), whilst on a normal gluten diet

• Endomysial AB IGA:  Positive
• Gliadin IgG:  Negative: 5.0 U/ml (Negative reference range <7)
• Gliadin IgA:  Negative:  3.7 U/ml (Negative reference range <7)
• t-Transglutaminase IgA: Positive:  21 U/ml (Normal reference range 0 - 10)
• Reticulin IgA: Negative
• IGA: 2.89 g/L (Reference range 0.70-4.00)

Background Research:

"Treatment of giardiasis reverses "active" coeliac disease to "latent" coeliac disease."

"An active coeliac disease status, with intestinal mucosa atrophy, may regress to a latent coeliac"
"Serum anti-endomysial and anti-tTG antibody behaviour is not a permanent, life-long feature"

 

Edited January 30, 2016 by Sugarcube
Typo

[cyclinglady]

SugarCube,

I saw your other posting today.  I can not believe that I missed your original posting!  Maybe I was doing something super fun that week (oh, my parents were visiting!).  

Your celiac blood panel was positive and you had intestinal damage that was caused by both celiac disease and Giardia?  After treating the Giardia, your CD resolved or went into remission?  Are you consuming a diet containing gluten still?  Have you had a follow-up biopsy?  

I read your link to the study, but that feature just one patient (a child).  Have you found any other larger studies?  Inquiring minds want to know!  

  

 

[Sugarcube]

I haven’t found any large scale studies on this, but only a handful of individual case reports suggesting that in rare cases giardia can temporarily mimic celiac (both the serology & villous atrophy) until it is treated.   I think this is a  complex matter as giardia effects patients differently (most are asymptomatic whilst others suffer from chronic symptoms including malabsorption) for reasons that may not be well understood.

In my case - My GI agrees that Giardia can directly cause villous atrophy that cannot be distinguished from Celiac.  As the healing of the villi can be a slow process, I will schedule a repeat endoscopy 6-12 months after my giardia was treated.  

Ttg antibodies can also take 6-12+months to completely normalise, especially if the starting levels are high. 6 months would have elapsed at the end of this month, so will schedule a repeat test, hoping for a normal Ttg result to prove the theory.  

I have decided to remain on a normal gluten diet until it can be proven that I’m a celiac and not just suffering from a giardia infection.  I have reason to be optimistic as my Gliadin IgA levels are negative (not iga deficient) and also given the sharp decrease in ttg levels 4 weeks after giardia was treated.

[cyclinglady]

So interesting!  Please keep us posted!  

[Fenrir]

I'm not a doctor or expert but I've done a lot of reading and I believe anything that causes major inflammation for the small intestine can cause false positives for celiac antibodies. Sometimes people with Crohn's will have positive celiac tests as well.  I wouldn't be surprised in the least that someone with a bad case of Giardia would come up positive.  Now, eventually, as you fully recover from the giardia infection you should go back to normal levels but if you don't you most likely have Celiac as well. 

From what I understand, Celiac doesn't go into remission though it can be latent in people for years. 

[Sugarcube]

Just to update this thread. I recently had a repeat ttg test (on a normal gluten diet). My ttg are now within the normal range.  This proves the theory that other conditions e.g. parasites (especially Giardia) can temporarily mimic celiac until they cleared.

 

 

[Ramncats]

I highly doubt that the damage done to the intestines by giardia lamblia infection can ever be undone. I am 72 year old female who contracted giardia lamblia in Mexico at the age of 17.  The giardiasis was successfully treated several months later. However, decades later I became first lactose intolerant, and then gluten-intolerant. I suffer from fructose intolerance, must adhere to strict gluten free diet. If I am recovering from accidental gluten cross contamination as I am currently, I simply cannot digest dairy (even with lactase supplements) or fructose. It will take months for my small intestines to heal from the gluten. After that, if I am lucky and take plenty of lactase enzyme I will be able to digest dairy. Also after my guts heal from accidental gluten ingestion, I should be able to again eat some fruit. 
The idea that damage done by giardiasis can ever go away is a pipe-dream in my opinion. 

[Scott Adams]

This is an older thread, but @Ramncats I don't believe that giardia lamblia could cause such issues--especially decades after it was treated. However, the use of antibiotics in children has been linked to an increased risk for celiac disease. Were treated with antibiotics for this, or something else when you were younger?

[Ramncats]

Scott, there are medical articles on the internet affirming that celiac disease, micro-colitis and other digestive issues can set up shop later in life after treated giardia lamblia. I believe my Giardia was probably treated with metronidazole. And like most Americans I have been treated with various antibiotics over the course of my lifetime. Once a person has celiac disease or gluten intolerance, that condition will be lifelong. 
I believe in the value of vaccines and of medical pharmaceuticals. I hope you do too. 

[knitty kitty]

@Ramncats,

Metronidazole is a type of antibiotic that destroys Thiamine Vitamin B 1 in the body.  

Undiagnosed thiamine deficiency and the toxicity of Metronidazole effect ones health. 

Replacing thiamine improves health even years after being treated.  

Learn more here....

https://www.hormonesmatter.com/metronidazole-mitochondrial-nightmare/

Hope this helps!

[Scott Adams]

I think my point here is that anyone who gets celiac disease later in life may look back and blame various illnesses or treatments for their bad luck, but so far I've seen no scientific research that links a prior giardia lamblia infection and treatment with an increased risk of celiac disease. I have seen studies that link certain viral infections, and antibiotic treatments in childhood, with an increased risk. You mentioned "I highly doubt that the damage done to the intestines by giardia lamblia infection can ever be undone," and of you only had this for a few weeks, once treated this infection should not cause any lifelong issues.