positive TTG IGA, (+) biopsy, (+) h pylori

[eps]

For the past several years Ive been living with the symptoms of celiac disease. I never brought it up to my primary care physician until it was affecting my personal life & work. Lab results came back positive for endomysial antibody Iga and ttg IgA 52. Endoscopy showed gastritis, h pylori, and biopsy positive for celiac. If I understood correctly GI doctor mentioned h pylori can cause a false positive for celiac. Next step is gene test for celiac and meds for hpylori... Is this common? 

[kareng]

21 minutes ago, eps said:

For the past several years Ive been living with the symptoms of celiac disease. I never brought it up to my primary care physician until it was affecting my personal life & work. Lab results came back positive for endomysial antibody Iga and ttg IgA 52. Endoscopy showed gastritis, h pylori, and biopsy positive for celiac. If I understood correctly GI doctor mentioned h pylori can cause a false positive for celiac. Next step is gene test for celiac and meds for hpylori... Is this common? 

I think what he is saying is that H pylori might be one of those things that can cause the intestinal damage that looks like Celiac. I am not sure that is even true.  I think the H pylori is responsible for gastritis.   But it does not cause positive Celiac blood antibodies.  

 

Its not listed here - https://www.cureceliacdisease.org/faq/what-else-can-cause-damage-to-the-small-intestine-other-than-celiac-disease/

 

and here 

https://www.cureceliacdisease.org/?s=h+pylori

There is no connection. Celiac disease patients, when untreated, often have gastritis, but its features are clearly different from and unrelated to the gastritis caused by H. pylori.

gastritis, h pylori

Edited March 5, 2019 by kareng

[eps]

Thank so much for the response ! Not sure where I misunderstood him. But will ask today

[cyclinglady]

Karen is spot on!  You can have both celiac disease and an H. Pylori infection in your stomach.  H. pylori is very common world-wide. In the old days, doctors though stress caused ulcers, but in the 80’s a doctor discover that H.Pylori was a major contributor to Chronic Gastritis.  

People with celiac disease can have some inflammation in the stomach as well and it can be relieved or cured with a gluten-free diet.  But you need to ask if the pathologist identified the H. Plyori bacteria in your stomach.  You GI should have biopsied both the duodenum and the stomach after observing gastritis.   So, besides a gluten free diet, you will probably need a “cocktail” of antibiotic treatments. 

You had two positives on the celiac panel.  And the EMA is very specific to celiac disease, unlike the TTG which can be elevated due to other illnesses like Crohn’s.  

[frieze]

and the gene test WILL NOT rule out celiac.

[plumbago]

Stress probably still can cause ulcers, as far as I understand, but from my reading online, the discussion so far is correct. H. Pylori is responsible (probably) for the majority of ulcers. However, I would keep my "no connection" (celiac disease and HP) powder dry until I do more investigating, but that's just me. However, it (no connection) is what is understood, to date.

I am doing research now into H. Pylori and remember there was a good article in the New Yorker that talked about how the bacteria/bacterium is considered protective up until a certain age, at which point it should be eradicated. Fortunately there are cures now. I would be interested in hearing more of your experience with both celiac disease and HP, particularly the HP.

New Yorker article:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/22/germs-are-us