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Can something besides gluten cause a positive biopsy for Celiac?

skc
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skc Newbie
skc
Posted

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...
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Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

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
frieze
Posted

make sure the results were actually yours..

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

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
Posterboy
Posted

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,

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