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I thought I would ask this question here as I have lymphocytic duodenosis and lots of lymphocytes in the small bowel as well as the colon.
So, I'm not considered a celiac but recent blood tests by a nurse for another small matter showed I was pretty low in urea. She said this is related to celiac. I don't understand if this is a malabsorption matter or evidence of what they call Protein Losing Enteropathy. I actually looked on the celiac.com site and they are talking about Urea Cycle Disorders. How will I correct the low urea and should I let my main GP and GI docs know soon? Will it give me spin-off problems? I am bamboozled by the implications of this urea problem.
thanks
Al
Low in Urea
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Hi Al,
A low BUN result is uncommon, but it's usually not a sign of anything serious. It can be associated with severe liver disease, or pregnancy, but if liver disease were an issue, your liver enzyme results would have reflected it, as well. And, I'll assume that you're not pregnant. Therefore, the most likely reason for your low BUN result, is a form of malnutrition - your diet is probably deficient in protein. We have other members who have reported a low BUN result, in the past, and low protein in the diet was typically their problem, also.
Your profile lists "meats" as a food intolerance, which probably confirms that low protein is the problem. Are there no meats that you can safely eat? How about fish or poultry? Legumes are high in protein, but at least half of us are sensitive to soy, and most of the other legumes, so there's a good chance that you may not be able to safely eat them, either.
That's certainly not a life-threatening situation, but adequate protein is essential for proper healing, and the intestine needs to heal, in order to recover from the inflammation damage that is associated with lymphocytic infiltration.
You're most welcome,
Tex
A low BUN result is uncommon, but it's usually not a sign of anything serious. It can be associated with severe liver disease, or pregnancy, but if liver disease were an issue, your liver enzyme results would have reflected it, as well. And, I'll assume that you're not pregnant. Therefore, the most likely reason for your low BUN result, is a form of malnutrition - your diet is probably deficient in protein. We have other members who have reported a low BUN result, in the past, and low protein in the diet was typically their problem, also.
Your profile lists "meats" as a food intolerance, which probably confirms that low protein is the problem. Are there no meats that you can safely eat? How about fish or poultry? Legumes are high in protein, but at least half of us are sensitive to soy, and most of the other legumes, so there's a good chance that you may not be able to safely eat them, either.
That's certainly not a life-threatening situation, but adequate protein is essential for proper healing, and the intestine needs to heal, in order to recover from the inflammation damage that is associated with lymphocytic infiltration.
You're most welcome,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks Tex. I wondered if anyone else has had low protein counts. I will have to watch my Liver as I think all the steroids I was schlepping down made it and me fat and upset my blood sugars. I know steroids cause diabetes in the long-term but that was when I was on 40mg or more of prednisone a day. Entocort is a walk in the park comparatively.
My meat sensitivities could be affecting the protein counts. Allergies to meats are generally considered unusual or rare but I never could work out why I reacted and had IgE especially to Pork. Recently I became aware of Pork- Cat Syndrome and yes, I'm very allergic to cats. A horrible cross reaction.
http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011 ... al-allergy
Al
My meat sensitivities could be affecting the protein counts. Allergies to meats are generally considered unusual or rare but I never could work out why I reacted and had IgE especially to Pork. Recently I became aware of Pork- Cat Syndrome and yes, I'm very allergic to cats. A horrible cross reaction.
http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011 ... al-allergy
Al
Al,
Have any of your biopsy samples been analyzed for an excess number of mast cells. This requires a special stain that most pathology labs don't normally stock, so they have to special order it if the GI specialist requests it. Anyway, the point is, a mast cell count in excess of 20 mast cells per 100 enterocytes indicates a diagnosis of mastocytic enterocolitis. (Of course, normally, that test requires that the biopsy samples come from the colon, but I have a hunch that the condition may be common all up and down the GI tract, from mouth to anus, (similar to Crohn's disease, MC, etc.).
An excess number of mast cells in the digestive tract, of course, results in both GI symptoms, and systemic symptoms, IOW, histamine-based, (IgE-based), reactons. Mastocytic Enterocolitis , (ME), was only first described a couple of years ago, so not very many GI specialists are even aware of it, but I get the impression that ME might be the the source of your issues. It's possible to have mast cell issues without having excess numbers of mast cells, but an elevated mast count almost guarantees problems of this nature.
Note that ME is not the same as systemic mastocytosis, (which is a more severe issue), but presently, virtually all of the physicians who are qualified to treat ME, are experts on mastocytosis. IOW, in order to receive proper treatment for ME, a patient usually has to seek out an expert on mastocytosis, and very, very few of them are available, worldwide.
Tex
Have any of your biopsy samples been analyzed for an excess number of mast cells. This requires a special stain that most pathology labs don't normally stock, so they have to special order it if the GI specialist requests it. Anyway, the point is, a mast cell count in excess of 20 mast cells per 100 enterocytes indicates a diagnosis of mastocytic enterocolitis. (Of course, normally, that test requires that the biopsy samples come from the colon, but I have a hunch that the condition may be common all up and down the GI tract, from mouth to anus, (similar to Crohn's disease, MC, etc.).
An excess number of mast cells in the digestive tract, of course, results in both GI symptoms, and systemic symptoms, IOW, histamine-based, (IgE-based), reactons. Mastocytic Enterocolitis , (ME), was only first described a couple of years ago, so not very many GI specialists are even aware of it, but I get the impression that ME might be the the source of your issues. It's possible to have mast cell issues without having excess numbers of mast cells, but an elevated mast count almost guarantees problems of this nature.
Note that ME is not the same as systemic mastocytosis, (which is a more severe issue), but presently, virtually all of the physicians who are qualified to treat ME, are experts on mastocytosis. IOW, in order to receive proper treatment for ME, a patient usually has to seek out an expert on mastocytosis, and very, very few of them are available, worldwide.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.