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

Biopsy Results Back, Vili Inflammation, No Celiac Evidence


Coconutmilk

Recommended Posts

Coconutmilk Rookie

Hello,

So i have been for my biopsy results today, Dr said biopsies only showed up some inflammation of vili. Im quite shocked and in a way upset, i really thought i had it and was prepared to start feeling better!. So he suggests irritable bowel and is going to contact my GP to put me on some medication. The thing is my blood results were positive, im not sure what they are testing for here in the uk but the average is below 5 and my result was 17, which to me sounds high.

So i was wondering is anyone familiar with the UK blood test they do? if so, why might it have been positive if not celiac? could it mean anything else?

I didnt want to be put under heading of IBS as i felt some people i know may have thought i had been complaining abut nothing but iv read up on it and have decided on paying to get a full food intolerance check to see if i can make my self feel better. Im sick of stomach pain, bloating, wind and constipation making me feel worn out and down.

So on a whole i am pleased there is nothing sinister going on inside my bowel, just wish i could get some answers and feel better. Thanks for your support in my other posts.

Any advice would be appreciated and info on UK blood test.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Gemini Experienced
Hello,

So i have been for my biopsy results today, Dr said biopsies only showed up some inflammation of vili. Im quite shocked and in a way upset, i really thought i had it and was prepared to start feeling better!. So he suggests irritable bowel and is going to contact my GP to put me on some medication. The thing is my blood results were positive, im not sure what they are testing for here in the uk but the average is below 5 and my result was 17, which to me sounds high.

So i was wondering is anyone familiar with the UK blood test they do? if so, why might it have been positive if not celiac? could it mean anything else?

I didnt want to be put under heading of IBS as i felt some people i know may have thought i had been complaining abut nothing but iv read up on it and have decided on paying to get a full food intolerance check to see if i can make my self feel better. Im sick of stomach pain, bloating, wind and constipation making me feel worn out and down.

So on a whole i am pleased there is nothing sinister going on inside my bowel, just wish i could get some answers and feel better. Thanks for your support in my other posts.

Any advice would be appreciated and info on UK blood test.

If your villi and small intestine are inflamed and you have a positive blood test for Celiac, you still may have it so don't totally believe what this doctor is telling you. You have to understand that if they don't find atrophy, they will tell you you do not have Celiac.....that is the only protocol they use, period. You may be in the early stages of Celiac and your villi may not be really bad as of yet, which would be a good thing. Also, they could have missed area's of atrophy, which is a common occurrence. Do you know how many samples they took during the endoscopy? That is very important....the more, the better.

I don't think the testing in the UK is that different than here in the States. Do you know which tests were run as that information would be helpful.

You have a choice here....do a gluten-free dietary trial and see how you feel. If your problems clear up, then I would say you have your answer. I would not take any medication they want to give you until you do a dietary trial because that could just mask your symptoms, which will come back down the road. IBS is not a diagnosis.....it's a general term used to describe a problem with the bowel. They never seem to want to find out what that problem is and just medicate people!

Good luck!

ravenwoodglass Mentor

Please do the diet. If you had postive bloodwork and inflammation in the biopsy you really need to give the diet a good try. Geminii put it very well, there a lots of false negatives on biopsy, and on blood tests also. You have a postive blood test and you intestine definately doesn't like something your giving it. My bet would be that you are one of the family. There is also the chance that with your blood tests and the iffy results on the biopsy that if you go on the diet and it does away with your health issues that your GP may diagnose you officially.

Coconutmilk Rookie

Hello,

thank you for your replies.

The test was to check for antibodies that are usually present if you have celiac disease, im sorry i dont know which ones for. I think its a standard blood test the GP does in the UK.

Im going to have a full food intolerance test, it costs quite alot but i think that if it comes back with gluten i may go private for another biopsy. The DR took four samples when i had the biopsy and by the way he spoke yesterday i dont think he has any intention of checking again.

My mum and Nan have had bowel problems and chronic pain for years and im worried of suffering complications through it being undiagnosed.

The thing is i started a gluten free diet last week. I have been extremely careful and not had any gluten, yet everynight i was suffering really bad with bloating, wind and pain, should this have been the case?

Thanks again

ravenwoodglass Mentor
The thing is i started a gluten free diet last week. I have been extremely careful and not had any gluten, yet everynight i was suffering really bad with bloating, wind and pain, should this have been the case?

Thanks again

Are you eating fresh unprocessed foods or have you added in gluten free goodies? If you have been eating a lot of gluten free baked goods back off for a while. If any of those products have codex wheat starch in them stay away from that completely as most of us will react. Also do you live with other folks who eat gluten? If you do there are precautions you need to take. You need you own butter, nut butters and other condiments that folks will dive a knife into. You need a new dedicated gluten-free toaster, wooden or porous item that you used before should be replaced, like cutting boards and wooden spoons. Also have you dropped dairy for now? You should until you heal and then you may be able to add it back in. It does take some time to heal. Feed your body fresh unprocessed foods and be sure to check all meds, script and OTC, supplements and be wary of it in stuff like lipsticks etc.

wildwood Apprentice

My daughter had positive blood work and two negative endoscopies. She had gene test and has dq2. She went gluten free based on blood work and has been diagnosed due to her overwhelmingly positive response to the diet. If I were you, I would follow the advice of the others and go gluten free for a month or so and see how you feel on the gluten free diet. That may give you your answer. I still find it troubling that endoscopy is still considered the gold standard for diagnosis.

Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - cristiana replied to Karen Chakerian's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      4

      Getting rid of the belly bloat

    2. - badastronaut replied to badastronaut's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      Still unsure.....

    3. - knitty kitty replied to badastronaut's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      Still unsure.....

    4. - James47 posted a topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      0

      Long term recovery

    5. - trents replied to TexasCeliacNewbie's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Just got Celiac blood test results back and they seem crazy high!


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,562
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Tazzy11
    Newest Member
    Tazzy11
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.3k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      Karen, welcome to the forum. Another thing to add:  Belly bloat can persist if you are lactose intolerant, a situation caused by coeliac disease or it can simply be a stand alone condition.  In the case of coeliac disease, it could be your damaged gut cannot break down lactose efficiently but, in time, once the gut heals, your lactose intolerance and bloating should improve.  You might also find it helpful to stay clear of certain high fibre foods for a while, perhaps keeping a food diary to see if any are causing you to bloat a lot or give you stomach pain.  Lentils and soya were an issue for me in the short term, while I was recovering.  Also, are you taking iron - that can really hurt your belly and in my case it added to the bloating. The other point I wanted to make is has your doctor looked into any other reasons for your belly bloat.? There are a number of other gastric conditions that can result in a bloated belly.  A blood test and an ultrasound to check for possible gynaecological issues could also be something to speak to your GP about. It took me a few months for my bloating to subside, but the journey which involved a few tests along the way to ensure nothing else was was worth it.   Cristiana
    • badastronaut
      Thanks very much for the in depth reply!!! I'll discuss it with my doctor next week!
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @badastronaut, I reread your last post on your previous thread... "Had some new bloodworks and an echo done because I still have problems with my stomach. According to my latest bloodworks I'm still negative for celiac and still low on zinc (even after supplementing it for quite a long time), I'm low on folic acid now too and my bilirubin is quite high (2,5 and 0,6). My ALT is also slightly elevated. I have been doing a gluten free diet quite strict although I did eat some gluten in the previous weeks.  "Could my blood result be this way because of gluten sensitivity and me being not strict enough? My echo showed no problems with my liver or pancreas. My bile ducts were fine too (although I don't have a gallbladder anymore).  "What to do??? Could this be gluten related?"   Your bilirubin is high.  The liver breaks down bilirubin.  The liver needs Thiamine to break down bilirubin.  Without sufficient Thiamine, bilirubin is not broken down and escapes into the bloodstream. High levels of bilirubin suppress the immune system.  High levels of bilirubin suppress the production of white blood cells, including anti-gluten antibodies.  The suppression of your immune system by high bilirubin could be the explanation for false negative Celiac antibody testing.  Thiamine is needed for antibody production.  Thiamine deficiency can cause false negatives on Celiac antibody tests.  If you are not making a lot of antibodies, you won't have much damage to the small intestine.   Your ALT is high.  The liver produces ALT.  When the liver does not have sufficient Thiamine, the liver produces more ALT that escapes into the bloodstream.  Elevated ALT is seen in thiamine deficiency. Your Lipase is high.  Lipase is produced in the liver and pancreas.  More Lipase is released by both in thiamine deficiency. Your gallbladder has been removed.  Gallbladder dysfunction is common in thiamine deficiency. Your Zinc is low.  Zinc absorption is enhanced when Thiamine is present.  Zinc is not absorbed well in thiamine deficiency. Your Folate is low.  Celiac Disease causes malabsorption of all the essential nutrients we need for health, the eight B vitamins, including Thiamine, the four fat soluble vitamin, Vitamin C and minerals like Zinc and Magnesium.  Thiamine stores can be depleted in as little as three weeks or even as quickly as three days.  Thiamine deficiency symptoms can wax and wane depending on how much thiamine is consumed that day.   If a high carbohydrate is eaten regularly, additional Thiamine is needed (500 mg per 1000 calories). Anxiety and depression are symptoms of thiamine insufficiency.  The brain just thinking  uses as much thiamine as muscles do when running a marathon.   I have had thiamine deficiency symptoms like you are experiencing.  My doctors did not recognize the symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  They just prescribed pharmaceuticals to cover up the symptoms which only made things worse.  I had a lot of nutritional deficiencies.  I ended up getting a DNA test to check for known genes for Celiac.  I have two Celiac genes.   Have you had a DNA test for Celiac genes?   I took Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that promotes intestinal healing, and a B Complex to correct my deficiencies.   High doses of thiamine need to be taken to correct deficiency.  Talk to your doctor about administering thiamine intravenously.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine is easily excreted in urine if not needed.  Improvement of symptoms should be seen within a few hours to a few days.  No harm in trying.  Process of elimination, etc.   Talk to your doctor and nutritionist.  Testing for nutritional deficiencies should be done before taking vitamin supplements, otherwise the vitamin supplements already taken will be measured.   I hope this helps you on your journey. References: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8451766/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6662249/#:~:text=CONCLUSION%3A,in men than in women. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24923275/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6040496/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3772304/#:~:text=Based on the patient's history,were also no longer present. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10682628/#:~:text=Benfotiamine (Fig.,]%2C [62]].  
    • James47
      Hey everyone I hope all are well and having a good 2025 so far. I am 50 this year and I only got diagnosed with celiac in June 2023. I have followed my diet to the letter since and they said after so many years undiagnosed it would take a long time to recover. Although I feel I have lot more energy and health and wellbeing is a lot better I still have severe gluten belly even though I work out daily and have a physical job. Any advice or info of anything else I can do would be greatly appreciated 👍 👍 
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @TexasCeliacNewbie! The test results you posted strongly point to celiac disease. It is likely that your physician will want to perform an endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to confirm the results of the celiac antibody bloodwork results you just posted. It is important that you not cut back on gluten consumption until the endoscopy/biopsy is complete, assuming, that is, one is forthcoming.  Can you post the actual reference ranges used by the lab for the tests to determine positive/negative/normal/high/low? Scales used by these labs are different from one place to the other so the raw numbers don't mean much without the scale used by the lab. There aren't industry standards for this. By the way, you probably won't be able to edit the original post so please post the extra info in new post. May we ask about the cancer you mentioned? There are some things that can elevate the antibody test scores, at least mildly, besides celiac disease.
×
×
  • Create New...