Confused MOM
Hello all
My 10 yr old son has been diagnosed with positive celiac disease in his blood works and in upper endoscopy. However GI told me after endoscopy that he has ulcers in upper part of small intestine which is unusual for celiac. Then he suggested his bowel ultrasound in his clinic and in that they found 3.6 mm terminal ileal wall thickening with mesentric proliferation. He told us to go for calpro . It came 216. We met after 1 month he said it is high and he asked how is weight gain after 1 month of gluten free diet. I told him that yes he gained 500gm in last 1 month on GF diet. So he told me as of now celiac is for sure , not sure about crohns but will repeat blood work and cal pro again after 3 months. I am confused whether this is the right thing to go for or we should have pushed him for colonoscopy. Should we go for 2nd opinion or just wait and watch.
Hi
. It is great that you are seeking out information and advocating on behalf of your son. Your concerns are certainly understandable. I have to note that we are not medical professionals and, for your protection, cannot offer medical advice over the internet. That said the calprotectin test certainly is high, but sometimes celiac disease can cause this and it usually comes down with treatment (see: https://www.diagnostechs.com/2013/10/08/fecal-calprotectin-a-new-marker-of-intestinal-inflammation/#:~:text=In%20summary%2C%20certain%20pediatric%20celiac,will%20likely%20show%20normal%20results.). Your son's doctor may just be trying to monitor the response before putting him through a colonoscopy, particularly if your son is not showing IBD symptoms. Of course, a second opinion is certainly a viable option and very often useful, even if it confirms the initial diagnosis and treatment. Wishing you and your son the best and please feel free, if you like, to keep us posted on how things are going and to ask additional questions. Best, Richard (Team Member) Thank you so much Richard.thanks for your insight.
so it is possible that ileum thickening could be because of celiac? Hi
. You are very welcome. Yes, celiac disease can cause thickening of the ileum wall. This article discusses this at multiple places and states "The disease may usually start in the duodenum, followed by the jejunum, and then progresses to the ileum. The initial phase in any segment is inflammation with fold and wall thickening:" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378603X13001204#:~:text=The%20disease%20may%20usually%20start,with%20fold%20and%20wall%20thickening. Hope this information is helpful. Best, Richard (Team Member)
