No Villi Atrophy But Do Have Inflamation

srthomas21 · June 5, 2009

I still have not got blood test back but the biopsy came back with inflamation in the small intestine but no villi atrophy.

Anybody know what that could mean?

The Fluffy Assassin · June 5, 2009

srthomas21 said:
I still have not got blood test back but the biopsy came back with inflamation in the small intestine but no villi atrophy.

Anybody know what that could mean?

It means you probably don't have celiac sprue and that you're probably about to get a diagnosis of Crohn's disease: Open Original Shared Link

Mind you, I'm not a doctor nor a diagnostician of any kind; wait a bit and the doctors and diagnosticians you're already seeing will have a much more confident answer for you (hopefully).

JennyC · June 5, 2009

You really need your blood work results. It is possible to have positive blood work and a negative biopsy and still be diagnosed with celiac disease. You may want to give the doctor a call to see if your results are in!

ravenwoodglass · June 5, 2009

Celiac can also cause inflammation before the villi are destroyed. I would give the diet a shot even if the blood work is negative. Below is a quote from the article that you were given a link to. Since it is considered an immune system problem it sure couldn't hurt to give the diet a try.

"Several theories exist about what causes Crohn’s disease, but none have been proven. The human immune system is made from cells and different proteins that protect people from infection. The most popular theory is that the body’s immune system reacts abnormally in people with Crohn’s disease, mistaking bacteria, foods, and other substances for being foreign. The immune system’s response is to attack these “invaders.” During this process, white blood cells accumulate in the lining of the intestines, producing chronic inflammation, which leads to ulcerations and bowel injury."

nora-n · June 6, 2009

In the old days one had to have villous atrophy, meaning no villi, to get a diagnosis for celiac.

Now they have graded the biopsies according to the Marsh scale (google it)

If you read the charts, it says increased intraepitelial lymphocytes or something like that.

maybe your answer meant that.

Some symptomatic patietns have asked for a second opinion, and sent their slides to the U of maryland, who give a diagnosis of celiac based on symptoms and increased IEL's.

See also thefooddoc blog, Dr- Lewey's webiste , there are also some articles and interviews with him here on the celiac.com website.

nora

Gfresh404 · June 6, 2009

That's funny. That's the exact same thing my biopsy showed - no atrophy, but minor inflammation. Turned out to be gluten sensitivity. My GI ruled out Crohn's I believe with some kind of a marker test, I forget if it was blood or what.

darkhorse · June 6, 2009

My results showed the same thing. I tested negative for a bunch of other tests (don't remember hearing about Crohns) including IBD, Barrett's esophagus, H pylori, ulcers and a bunch of other things. I did have elevated mast cells that indicated an immune response of some kind. I had a positive response to the diet and all my pain and stomach problems went away. The Dr told me that if the diet worked for me, then I should stick with it since there was no other obvious cause for my symptoms.

Gfresh404 · June 7, 2009

darkhorse said:
The Dr told me that if the diet worked for me, then I should stick with it since there was no other obvious cause for my symptoms.

It's good to hear another Doctor actually listening to and trusting their patients. I have heard so many stories of doctors saying; "Gluten can't be the issue, you tested negative for Celiac, it is perfectly fine for you to consume gluten." This just really bothers me. When doctors themselves are not educated about these issues. There is so much we still don't understand about the human body. If it works go with it.

srthomas21 · June 10, 2009

Gfresh404 said:
It's good to hear another Doctor actually listening to and trusting their patients. I have heard so many stories of doctors saying; "Gluten can't be the issue, you tested negative for Celiac, it is perfectly fine for you to consume gluten." This just really bothers me. When doctors themselves are not educated about these issues. There is so much we still don't understand about the human body. If it works go with it.

Thanks for your replies. The Dr. said I did not have Crohns . I do have Ulcerative Colits which I had my colon removed because of it.

The blood tests are in. They want me to come in and talk with the Doc. I think that means they were positive. Could this be the last day for Gluten? If so I will miss you

HKWW · July 13, 2009

same thing here - biopsy results showed no villi atrophy but only inflammation. and doctor told me to relax and eat as normal, it may just be in my brain. he has also ruled out blood tests because he said blood tests are inconclusive and can give false (+) / (-) results anyway. i happened to be chinese and funny he also said chinese people don't have celiac. but when in the 2 weeks that i waited for my biopsy results, i went gluten-free anyway (or tried to), and when i went really gluten-free, i felt that my GI has improved and never once did i have bloated stomach again, but for those times that i didn't come cleanly gluten free (i.e. had meat marinaded with gluten-containing marinades), my stomach went bloated like i have a 5-month pregnancy... anyway, i am trusted my senses more than these doctors and will go gluten-free whenever i could now, afterall, it's my body and i should know my body best.

ravenwoodglass · July 13, 2009

HKWW said:
same thing here - biopsy results showed no villi atrophy but only inflammation. and doctor told me to relax and eat as normal, it may just be in my brain. he has also ruled out blood tests because he said blood tests are inconclusive and can give false (+) / (-) results anyway. i happened to be chinese and funny he also said chinese people don't have celiac. but when in the 2 weeks that i waited for my biopsy results, i went gluten-free anyway (or tried to), and when i went really gluten-free, i felt that my GI has improved and never once did i have bloated stomach again, but for those times that i didn't come cleanly gluten free (i.e. had meat marinaded with gluten-containing marinades), my stomach went bloated like i have a 5-month pregnancy... anyway, i am trusted my senses more than these doctors and will go gluten-free whenever i could now, afterall, it's my body and i should know my body best.

Please go gluten free all the time not just whenever you can. Also there are lots of false negatives but not false postives with blood testing. If you had a postive blood test, even just a little positive it is a positive test. In addition the genetic testing leaves a lot to be desired. If I had been gene tested before diagnosis I would have been told that I don't have the genes and couldn't be celiac. Doctors negated my celiac daughters diagnosis when she had her genes tested even though she had positive bloods and biopsy. It turns out our celiac genes are uncommon genes in the Caucasian population. They are 'Asian' genes and when I did a bit of research it did turn out that they are recognized celiac genes in the Middle East and Far Eastern populations. There is a great deal that is not known about celiac but your body has given you the answer.