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

Barrett's Esophagus - Gluten Related?

Rick-O-Shay

By Rick-O-Shay
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Rick-O-Shay Apprentice
Rick-O-Shay
Posted

Hello,

3 Years ago I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus via endoscopy biopsy. Does anyone know if this condition is linked to Gluten sensitivity or Celiac?

Thanks,

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

My brother in law has celiac disease and BE. He also has Diabetes, another related condition. I don't know of any scientific studies, just his story.

Rick-O-Shay Apprentice
Rick-O-Shay
Posted
  • Author

Hmmm. Thanks.

Does he follow a Celiac diet? I was just wondering if over time if he sticks to the diet if the Barrett's will heal up.

sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

I believe he does. He has had celiac disease since 2003 and they discovered Diabetes at same time. I will text him about BE later today. I know he gets reg checks for it and I do remember him saying it was hard to manage (BE).

Rick-O-Shay Apprentice
Rick-O-Shay
Posted
  • Author

Hey sam, did you text your bro?

beebs Enthusiast
beebs
Posted

I am supposed to have an endo at some point to see what damage my GERD has done. I had it very badly for years...until I went gluten free. Sometimes I need a tum - but I have had no medication for it since going gluten-free. So to answer - GERD can cause BE and Celiac/Gluten Intolerance can cause GERD. Hope that helps!

sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

Rick,

I did text him but sometimes it takes a few days. He is undergoing a full house renovation and he teaches. He will get back to me - I'll keep bugging him! He needs that sometimes. :-) But I will respond as soon as I hear what he says. It makes sense what beebs said.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

Just heard from BIL - he said the only thing that helped him was medication and it is no longer a problem. He does get it checked every year. So it is hard to say if just gluten free helped him or just meds or both. Not sure if this helps or not.

Rick-O-Shay Apprentice
Rick-O-Shay
Posted
  • Author

This is good to know. Thank you.

If gluten causes GERD, and GERD causes BE, then it makes total sense.

I'm not sure if it's heartburn or not, but I wake up in the morning with terrible burning in my stomach all the time. I have eliminated so much and I am on prilosec and carafate... My doctor says I'm just hungry... I don't think hunger is supposed to be a burning pain...

Any idea of how long it took for the GERD to go away after going gluten free? I know everyone is different, so answers may vary.

beebs Enthusiast
beebs
Posted

For me it was instant - I went gluten-free and the GERD went away that day. I have it really mildly occasionally = but I was medicated for years (which wasn't working) and I haven't been on meds since.

Burning pain that relieves when you eat?? Sounds like it could be Stomach ulcers! Which can also be cause by Celiac!! Have you ever been put on proton pump inhibitors or anything? Do you have any other symptoms - excessive belching or anything like that?? Going gluten free will not fix ulcers - you would still need medication (nexium, parriet etc).

Rick-O-Shay Apprentice
Rick-O-Shay
Posted
  • Author

For me it was instant - I went gluten-free and the GERD went away that day. I have it really mildly occasionally = but I was medicated for years (which wasn't working) and I haven't been on meds since.

Burning pain that relieves when you eat?? Sounds like it could be Stomach ulcers! Which can also be cause by Celiac!! Have you ever been put on proton pump inhibitors or anything? Do you have any other symptoms - excessive belching or anything like that?? Going gluten free will not fix ulcers - you would still need medication (nexium, parriet etc).

Yes, I have been diagnosed with ulcers. The burning pain in the AM does go away when I get up, move around, and eat something. I am on prilosec (a PPI) and carafate (to coat the stomach), although I still have the burning. I have another endoscopy scheduled in January :(. Sounds like you have experience with ulcers?

I am hopeing if I go gluten free the ulcers won't come back once they are healed.

Another symptom I have is feeling extra full after eating and nauseous... common with ulcers I believe. Have you had ulcers before?

beebs Enthusiast
beebs
Posted

Yes- I've had two neg for H.Pylori, haven't had one since going gluten free - my last one was just before I went gluten free took nexium for it and then haven't needed anything since.

Rick-O-Shay Apprentice
Rick-O-Shay
Posted
  • Author

Yes- I've had two neg for H.Pylori, haven't had one since going gluten free - my last one was just before I went gluten free took nexium for it and then haven't needed anything since.

Right on. You give me hope! I have been tested for H. Pylori as well, which was negative, and I have been struggling with them ever since. I have tried prevacid, prilosec, nexium (with carafate of course). Since ulcers are slow to heal I'm hoping after a month or two and being gluten free I can keep those nasty things away.

Thanks again beebs!

Do you have heartburn by chance?

beebs Enthusiast
beebs
Posted

Yeah - severe heartburn (GERD) that I took medication for for years and years and it did nothing. I couldn't drink water - it would make it so much worse and sometimes it wouldn't even go down:( But - all good now that I'm gluten free, no meds needed and GERD is all but gone (have little episodes here and there) . Have you started the gluten-free diet yet??

Rick-O-Shay Apprentice
Rick-O-Shay
Posted
  • Author

Yeah - severe heartburn (GERD) that I took medication for for years and years and it did nothing. I couldn't drink water - it would make it so much worse and sometimes it wouldn't even go down:( But - all good now that I'm gluten free, no meds needed and GERD is all but gone (have little episodes here and there) . Have you started the gluten-free diet yet??

Yes, but it has only been about a week, so I need to give it more time. Did it take awhile for you to feel better and begin stopping your medication?

beebs Enthusiast
beebs
Posted

No - mine is directly related. The day I went gluten free the GERD stopped - if only I had of figured it out ages ago. I need to have an endo to check for Barretts etc. Not looking forward to it!

Also- now if I am glutened the GERD comes back - so totally caused by gluten.

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

hopefully you are aware the carafate needs to be taken on a totally empty stomach, nothing to eat 2 hours before nor 1 hour after? if there is a chance that the pain you are feeling is esophogeal, the suspension may be a better form. Good luck

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,570
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Catherine OBrien
    Newest Member
    Catherine OBrien
    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

    • trents
      Weakly positive DGP IgA

      By trents · Posted

      If your total IGA is low then the values for the other IGA tests cannot be trusted. They will be depressed. Celiacs who have the DQ2 gene typically are on the more sensitive side as opposed to those who only have the DQ8. But keep in mind that having either or both of those genes does not equate to having celiac disease as 40% of the general population have one or the other and only about 1% of the general population develops active celiac disease. Genetic typing can be used for ruling it out, however. Because of the low total IGA, symptoms and the possession of the DQ2 gene, my suggestion would be for you to go seriously gluten free for a few months and see if your symptoms improve. It may be the only way you can ascertain if you are gluten intolerant because of the low total IGA.
    • Cat M
      Weakly positive DGP IgA

      By Cat M · Posted

      Ah ok, I just saw didn’t even post the DGP IgA at all. 😫 I started with itching and hives Jan 2024, been taking a ton of meds and on Xolair and even that is not providing total relief. The other primary symptoms: intermittent but worsening abdominal pain, diarrhea and bloating. This summer I am just exhausted. I uploaded my 23andMe data to genetic lifehacks and discovered quite a few variations, including DQ2, MTHFR, VDR and I have always had very low ferritin, vitamin D and B12. I still think that mast cell disease makes the most sense, but latest labs show I am barely in range for thiamine, zinc and vitamin A, so the GI stuff feels more important to figure out than the hives right now. I did SIBO testing this morning. TTG IGA <2   0-3 is negative TTG IGG  3   0-5 is neg DGP IGA 21    20-30 is weak positive DGP IGG 4    0-19 is negative Although total IGA is not resulted, there is a footnote stating it was low and the reason they ran IGG.  
    • Scott Adams
      Positive TTG antibody and negative EMA antibody

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is an interesting case. A positive tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibody with a negative endomysial antibody (EMA) and normal duodenal histology can present a diagnostic challenge, especially in an asymptomatic patient. While the absence of villous atrophy and negative EMA suggest that the likelihood of active celiac disease is low at this time, such serological discordance may still warrant monitoring. Some individuals may be in the early stages of celiac disease, often referred to as potential celiac disease, particularly if they carry the HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 haplotypes. HLA typing can be quite helpful in this situation; a negative result would virtually rule out celiac disease, whereas a positive result may justify periodic follow-up to monitor for evolving disease. The risk of progression to overt celiac disease is not well defined but appears to be higher in children, those with a family history, or those with autoimmune conditions. In this case, routine follow-up including repeat serology and consideration of symptoms or new risk factors over time would be a reasonable and cautious approach. For people with celiac disease hidden gluten in their diets is the main cause of elevated Tissue Transglutaminase IgA Antibodies (tTG-IgA), but there are other conditions, including cow's milk/casein intolerance, that can also cause this, and here is an article about the other possible causes:      
    • Scott Adams
      Old to diagnosis

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Have you tried to start a gluten-free diet since your diagnosis in 2019?
    • trents
      Positive TTG antibody and negative EMA antibody

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to celiac.com, @Wamedh Taj-Aldeen! Just curious, what is your relationship to the patient? Are you the attending physician? A medical student? A consulted physician? Was a total IGA test ordered? Some physicians are under the dated and mistaken impression that such is only necessary in young children. If total IGA is low, other IGA antibody numbers will be artificially depressed. By the way, it is not unusual to have a positive TTG-IGA and a negative EMA. Are the TTG-IGA numbers borderline high or unequivocally high? There are other diseases and medical conditions that can cause elevated TTG-IGA numbers besides celiac disease but when this is the case, the numbers are usually not dramatically elevated. It can also be the case that villous damage was patchy and affected areas were missed during the biopsy. Or, onset of celiac disease was very recent and villous atrophy has not yet progressed to the point of detectability.  We also have occasional anecdotal reports in this online community of positive antibody testing with negative histology, as you report. But we also know that gluten intolerance can manifest itself apart from enteropathy. It can damage other organ systems. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning there is an absence or a relative absence of symptoms until the disease has become advanced and there is significant damage to the villous lining or other organ systems. But to answer your questions: 1. I would definitely pursue a routine follow-up and recheck of the antibodies. And, I would order a complete celiac panel including total IGA and IGG stuff in say, six months. Sooner if symptoms manifest. 2. It is impossible to say what is the risk of the future development of over celiac disease. I refer you back to my #1 above concerning rechecking.  3. I would definitely pursue HLA DQ2/DQ8 typing as it can be used as a rule out for celiac disease, though not quite with 100% dependability. I hope my thoughts prove helpful to you.
×
×
  • Create New...