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 Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Can something besides gluten cause a positive biopsy for Celiac?


skc

Recommended Posts

skc Newbie

I've been 100% gluten free for at least 6 years due to "gluten sensitivity".  My bloodwork consistently tests negative for celiac.... in fact my blood work always looks great.  I recently figured out I was iron deficient, and was told to get a colonoscopy and endoscopy.  To my surprise, the biopsy came back as Celiac!!  My question is could there be anything else besides gluten that would damage my small intestine?  I have been gluten free for too long for it to be the reason my intestines are positive for celiac.

 

  • 6 months later...

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Scott Adams Grand Master

Interesting, and this sounds like a trick question. So if you've been on a gluten-free diet for 6 years, can I assume that the blood tests you did were while you were on the diet? That would explain why they were negative. One must be getting a fair amount of gluten in their diet, and be sensitive to it, to have positive blood tests.

So the hard part is how your biopsy could now be positive if your diet was gluten-free? Was it 100% gluten-free? Are you sure you fully understand the diet and all the hidden ingredients? Do you eat out regularly?

Sorry it took so long to reply!

frieze Community Regular

make sure the results were actually yours..

cyclinglady Grand Master

Many things can cause villi damage besides celiac disease:

https://www.cureceliacdisease.org/faq/what-else-can-cause-damage-to-the-small-intestine-other-than-celiac-disease/

Many celiacs are actually seronegative.  Either you were not diet compliant or something else was causing damage.  Non-compliance is common per this study.  Gluten can be hidden in so many areas.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598839/

Posterboy Mentor

skc,

Cyclinglady has given you good advice.

You might also cut out dairy if you haven't already and see if you feel better... a lot of Celiac's do better at least temporarily getting off dairy for a while.

Here is the research on dairy....

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540100400003204

If you wan to study more about what else can be causing your villi blunting here is a good  recent study from the Mayo Clinic about this topic.

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(17)30892-3/fulltext

I also had problem with my BP medicine.

Here is a thread about it.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/119462-what-else-can-cause-villi-blunting-has-any-body-had-expereince-with-losartan-and-villi-blunting/

Don't be afraid to re-evaluate any medicines you might be taking. . .it is not well known but NSAIDS can also cause villi blunting in some people.

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

2 Timothy 2: 7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” this included.

Posterboy by the Grace of God,

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,736
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    charlotte moore
    Newest Member
    charlotte moore
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      In general with pharmaceutical products cross-contamination is a much lower risk.
    • Scott Adams
      Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • trents
      Just so you'll know, once you have been gluten-free for any length of time, it will invalidate testing for celiac disease.
    • QueenBorg
      Yes. I have not been tested for celiac. It took forever to get diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. lol. I have an appointment with my regular GP later this month and will convey my findings on improved symptoms and see what his thoughts are. Thank you. 
    • knitty kitty
      @Grahamsnaturalworld, It's never too late.   Have you been checked for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth?  SIBO can cause ongoing symptoms.  Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Histamine Intolerance (HIT) can also be the cause of ongoing symptoms.  The AIP diet can help with these by starving out SIBO bacteria and calming the immune system. Do you include dairy in your diet?  Casein in dairy can cause an autoimmune response the same as to gluten.  Have you been checked for lactose intolerance?  Some people lose the ability to produce the enzyme, lactase, needed to digest lactose, the sugar in dairy because the villi where the lactase enzyme is made are damaged.  AIP diet excludes dairy. Do you include grains in your diet?  Gluten free alternative grains and ancient grains can be inflammatory and cause symptoms.  Some people with Celiac react to corn and oats.  The AIP diet excludes all grains.  Lectins in grains can be inflammatory and cause symptoms. Do you eat nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant).  This family of plants produce glycoalkaloids, chemicals that promote Leaky Gut Syndrome.  The AIP diet excludes nightshades.   Are you on any medications?  Some medications can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.  Do you take any supplements?  Some herbal teas and supplements can cause digestive symptoms.  Medications for diabetes, antidepressants, and other pharmaceuticals can cause digestive symptoms as side effects. Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?  Malabsorption of essential nutrients can occur with continued symptoms.  Deficiencies in Niacin, Thiamine, and other B vitamins can cause digestive symptoms.  Gastrointestinal Beriberi and Pellagra are often overlooked by doctors because they are not familiar with nutritional deficiency disease symptoms.  Nutritional deficiencies can worsen over time as stores inside the body are depleted.   Have your doctors checked for all these?   I had a horrible time getting my symptoms under control.  I had to answer all these questions myself.  Yes, it's frustrating and exasperating because doctors don't have to live with these symptoms everyday. Interesting reading: AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Refractory Celiac Disease: Expert Review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36137844/
×
×
  • Create New...