Last week’s blog left off by sharing information on the Marsh Scores of one. Today, we are sharing what a Marsh Score of three and more look like for a patient with celiac disease. To discuss your concerns regarding celiac disease and living a gluten-free life, make an appointment with Orlando Gastroenterology Consultants of Central Florida.

Celiac disease stages two and three:

In our last post, readers learned about scores of one. In a patient with a Marsh Score of two, doctors see more lymphocytes than normal as well as larger depressions than normal between the intestinal villi. The depressions are usually referred to as crypts.

When crypts are larger than normal, they are called hyperplastic. After the biopsy, if the pathology report states there are hyperplastic crypts, then it means the depressions seen in the biopsy are bigger than they would be in a normal intestinal lining.

Stage two is pretty rare. This is usually seen in people with dermatitis herpetiformis. Now, for stage three.

What is considered celiac disease rating?:

Most doctors will not often diagnose a patient with celiac disease unless the Marsh Score is a stage three. In stage three, the changes of stage two are present as well as villous atrophy, or shrinking and flattening of the intestinal villi.

The following are the three substages of stage three:

  • Stage 3a: Partial villous atrophy
  • Stage 3b: Subtotal villous atrophy
  • Stage 3c: Total villous atrophy

In stage 3a, the intestinal villi are still present but are smaller. Next, the intestinal villi have shrunken significantly in stage 3b. Lastly, in stage 3c, the intestinal villi is basically flat with no villi left.

Orlando Gastroenterology Consultants of Central Florida share more:

Of course, stage four is the most advanced stage and is not seen too often. In this stage, Orlando Gastroenterology Consultants of Central Florida see the villi are completely flattened, or atrophied. The crypts, or depressions, between them are shrunken too.

Stage four is the most common amongst elderly patients with celiac disease. For people with a Marsh Score of stage four, there may be a higher risk for serious complications such as lymphoma. Because of this risk, it is very important to make an appointment with a gastro doctor promptly if you have symptoms of celiac disease.

As a reminder, a few symptoms of celiac disease are as follows:

  • weight loss
  • abdominal pain
  • fatigue
  • diarrhea

After being diagnosed with celiac disease, if patients do not feel relief after cutting out gluten for an extended period of time, your gastro doctors in Orlando may need to consider alternative causes for your villous atrophy. Make a call today to discuss your concerns, and be heard.

We look forward to hearing from you, and more importantly, helping you!

Staff Writer