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Hi Tex, I posted my enterolab results earlier, but I still can't figure out what Anti-tissue Transglutaminase is, what it does, what it means, etc. In the notes they said: You have an autoimmune reaction to the human enzyme tissue transglutaminase, secondary to dietary gluten sensitivity. Also, is there some reason they didn't give me a number for the fat score. They just put <300 units.
Thanks for any help. JoAnn
Tex, what is this?
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Hi JoAnn,
I added a comment about anti-tissue transglutaminase to my respose to your post that includes your test results. "Autoimmune reaction to the human enzyme tissue transglutaminase", means that your immune system is attacking your own tissue transglutaminase, IOW, your immune system is attacking parts of your own body. By the phrase "secondary to dietary gluten sensitivity", they mean that the antibodies are being produced due to a sensitivity to ingested gluten. There's a bit more detail about this reaction in my other post, as I mentioned above.
As I recall, they typically don't list any fecal fat test results below 300, because that is the threshold that is established for their test calibration, below which, damage is normally insignificant. Therefore, numbers below that threshold would be meaningless. IOW, your test result has to be 300 or above, to indicate any significant degree of damage.
If you need more detail, please don't hesitate to ask.
You're most welcome,
Tex
I added a comment about anti-tissue transglutaminase to my respose to your post that includes your test results. "Autoimmune reaction to the human enzyme tissue transglutaminase", means that your immune system is attacking your own tissue transglutaminase, IOW, your immune system is attacking parts of your own body. By the phrase "secondary to dietary gluten sensitivity", they mean that the antibodies are being produced due to a sensitivity to ingested gluten. There's a bit more detail about this reaction in my other post, as I mentioned above.
As I recall, they typically don't list any fecal fat test results below 300, because that is the threshold that is established for their test calibration, below which, damage is normally insignificant. Therefore, numbers below that threshold would be meaningless. IOW, your test result has to be 300 or above, to indicate any significant degree of damage.
If you need more detail, please don't hesitate to ask.
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.
Hi Tex, thanks for taking so much time to explain my enterolab test results. They should pay you for putting it into user-friendly terms. You are one smart man! I was hoping I wouldn't have a milk problem. Is yogurt off limits, too, with this? The more I learn from you and this site, the more questions I have. Did I have this my whole life? How come it didn't bother me until the last few years? Maybe there are no answers. Thanks again for taking the time to make sure I understand what is going on. I certainly don't mind you posting my numbers on the site. I'm glad you gave me the link so I can see how others tested. You're terrific! JoAnn
Hi JoAnn,
The casien means that you are intolerant to cow's milk protein and probably goat's milk protein, also. That means that cow's and goat's milk yogurt are off-limits. If you are lucky, you can eat soy and will be able to eat soy yogurt and all the soy dairy substitutes. If you are also intolerant to soy, your options are more limited, but there are other milk substitutes you can try. There is a rice yogurt, but it is only available at some Whole Foods stores (not the one Salt Lake City, as I recall).
Gloria
The casien means that you are intolerant to cow's milk protein and probably goat's milk protein, also. That means that cow's and goat's milk yogurt are off-limits. If you are lucky, you can eat soy and will be able to eat soy yogurt and all the soy dairy substitutes. If you are also intolerant to soy, your options are more limited, but there are other milk substitutes you can try. There is a rice yogurt, but it is only available at some Whole Foods stores (not the one Salt Lake City, as I recall).
That's the million-dollar question that most of us would like answered. There is a substantiated relationship between MC and usage of NSAIDS. Some believe that their MC was triggered by an antibiotic. Some have sudden onset; others have had gradual onset. Hopefully the medical profession will someday be able to determine what the cause is.Did I have this my whole life? How come it didn't bother me until the last few years?
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Hi JoAnn,
To expand on what Gloria has said about the onset of MC, susceptibility lies within a gene that, as far as I am aware, is yet to be discovered. While a gene that is linked with Crohn's disease has been identified, none have so far been identified for UC or MC. It is known, however, (according to research documented by Dr. Kenneth Fine), that when the gene that predisposes to MC is triggered, typically, a gene that predisposes to gluten sensitivity is also triggered , (in most cases, IOW).
It appears that MC can be triggered at any age, and while a genetic susceptibility is a necessary condition, it is not sufficient, to induce the disease. IOW, not everyone with the gene, actually develops MC. Virtually any form of enteritis can trigger MC, (under the right conditions), ranging from viruses, through bacterial infections, parasites, etc. Many meds can trigger MC, including, (as Gloria mentioned), NSAIDs and antibiotics. It has also been documented that certain proton pump inhibitors, (PPIs), Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, (SSRIs), some meds that I can't recall at the moment, and probably a few that I am not even aware of, are known to trigger MC, in certain cases. Other highly stressful events have been known to trigger MC. Stopping a long-time smoking habit, for example, is a well known trigger for MC.
As Gloria mentioned, some of us can pinpoint the exact day that our symptoms began, while for others, the onset was gradual, that is to say, we would get sick, then recover for a while, in gradually shortening cycles, until it dawned on us that something was amiss, or until the symptoms became chronic.
A little more info on the casein: Yogurt is fine for someone with lactose intolerance, because the live bacteria in the yogurt digest the lactose, thus eliminating the need for further lactose breakdown. Casein is an entirely different matter, though. Lactose is a sugar, while casein is the main protein in milk. All dairy products contain casein. While there are slight differences in the composition of casein from various mammalian species, most of them are similar enough in the amino acid chains that make up their casein, that if we are intolerant to one, we are likely to be intolerant to them all. Some people, (not on this board), have even tried such exotic milks as camel's milk, for example, and found that it can be tolerated by a few, the problem is that the only source of camel's milk in this country is in California, and that product is not USDA approved, because it is not pasteurized, if I recall correctly.
Tex
To expand on what Gloria has said about the onset of MC, susceptibility lies within a gene that, as far as I am aware, is yet to be discovered. While a gene that is linked with Crohn's disease has been identified, none have so far been identified for UC or MC. It is known, however, (according to research documented by Dr. Kenneth Fine), that when the gene that predisposes to MC is triggered, typically, a gene that predisposes to gluten sensitivity is also triggered , (in most cases, IOW).
It appears that MC can be triggered at any age, and while a genetic susceptibility is a necessary condition, it is not sufficient, to induce the disease. IOW, not everyone with the gene, actually develops MC. Virtually any form of enteritis can trigger MC, (under the right conditions), ranging from viruses, through bacterial infections, parasites, etc. Many meds can trigger MC, including, (as Gloria mentioned), NSAIDs and antibiotics. It has also been documented that certain proton pump inhibitors, (PPIs), Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, (SSRIs), some meds that I can't recall at the moment, and probably a few that I am not even aware of, are known to trigger MC, in certain cases. Other highly stressful events have been known to trigger MC. Stopping a long-time smoking habit, for example, is a well known trigger for MC.
As Gloria mentioned, some of us can pinpoint the exact day that our symptoms began, while for others, the onset was gradual, that is to say, we would get sick, then recover for a while, in gradually shortening cycles, until it dawned on us that something was amiss, or until the symptoms became chronic.
A little more info on the casein: Yogurt is fine for someone with lactose intolerance, because the live bacteria in the yogurt digest the lactose, thus eliminating the need for further lactose breakdown. Casein is an entirely different matter, though. Lactose is a sugar, while casein is the main protein in milk. All dairy products contain casein. While there are slight differences in the composition of casein from various mammalian species, most of them are similar enough in the amino acid chains that make up their casein, that if we are intolerant to one, we are likely to be intolerant to them all. Some people, (not on this board), have even tried such exotic milks as camel's milk, for example, and found that it can be tolerated by a few, the problem is that the only source of camel's milk in this country is in California, and that product is not USDA approved, because it is not pasteurized, if I recall correctly.
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.
