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What Exactly Does This Mean?

dhiltonlittle

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dhiltonlittle Contributor
dhiltonlittle
Posted

"mild chronic duodenitis with focal scalloping, shortening and blunting of villi without intraepithelial lymphocytosis; inconclusive for a definite diagnosis of celiac disease. follow up and clinical correlation with serologic findings/antibody testing suggested."

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

It means that you have some inflammation of the duodenum of longstanding, and that your have some damage to your villi in the small intestine with no white blood cells present. Based on these findings the doctor is not prepared to make a diagnosis of celiac and recommends that the findings be followed up with celiac blood testing.

dhiltonlittle Contributor
dhiltonlittle
Posted
  • Author

It means that you have some inflammation of the duodenum of longstanding, and that your have some damage to your villi in the small intestine with no white blood cells present. Based on these findings the doctor is not prepared to make a diagnosis of celiac and recommends that the findings be followed up with celiac blood testing.

thanks, that makes a lot more sense!

i do have elevated antigliadin antibodies (39 with cut off <11). all other blood test were in normal range. also, am hypothyroid. what other things can cause damage to the small intestine like this that i should look into? i went to the celiac center at columbia who are also running some test but i don't go back for another 6 weeks or so....

Simona19 Collaborator
Simona19
Posted

It means that you have some inflammation of the duodenum of longstanding, and that your have some damage to your villi in the small intestine with no white blood cells present. Based on these findings the doctor is not prepared to make a diagnosis of celiac and recommends that the findings be followed up with celiac blood testing.

Hi! I'm very surpriced that you knew what the doctor was writing about. Can you help me with this? What it mean?

Duodenum, biopsy: Small bowel mucosa with focal epithelial infiltration by lymphocytes (>40 lymphocytes/100 enterocytes). The villous architecture is preserved. No crypt hyperplasia identified. The findings are nonspecific and are associated with early celiac disease (MarshI). Correlation with clinical findings and serology suggested.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

thanks, that makes a lot more sense!

i do have elevated antigliadin antibodies (39 with cut off <11). all other blood test were in normal range. also, am hypothyroid. what other things can cause damage to the small intestine like this that i should look into? i went to the celiac center at columbia who are also running some test but i don't go back for another 6 weeks or so....

Those biopsy finding combined with a postive blood test mean you are likely celiac. Have you started the diet yet? Since you are done with blood work and biopsy a dietary trial is your next step and should take care of the issues you are having. You don't need to wait for the doctors appointment to get started.

dhiltonlittle Contributor
dhiltonlittle
Posted
  • Author

Those biopsy finding combined with a postive blood test mean you are likely celiac. Have you started the diet yet? Since you are done with blood work and biopsy a dietary trial is your next step and should take care of the issues you are having. You don't need to wait for the doctors appointment to get started.

yeah i've been gluten free for about 4 months now and have seen a lot of improvement since. not sure if it's the diet, time passing/healing, or the thyroid meds but i have seen some improvement over the last few months. the positive blood test that i had they said is very non specific and could be elevated for other reasons. me and my current doctor seem to be at a stand still with it which is why i went to columbia to get their input. curious what they have to say after looking over all of my old results and the tests that they are running as well.

Simona19 Collaborator
Simona19
Posted

My tests are also confusing, but I'm staying on the gluten free diet. Everybody here gave me a very good advice, and I'm feeling much better. :)

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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