Celiac disease changes histology of the Small Intestine.

Celiac disease changes histology of the Small Intestine.

• A. Stomach
• B. Small Intestine
• C. Large Intestine
• D. Esophagus

Answer: (B)

Celiac disease causes distinctive changes in the lining of the small intestine, particularly the duodenum and proximal jejunum. The key histologic features are villous atrophy (loss or blunting of the intestinal villi), crypt hyperplasia (deepened crypts), and an increased number of intraepithelial lymphocytes. These changes shorten the absorptive surface and lead to malabsorption. Gluten exposure triggers this response in genetically predisposed individuals (often with HLA-DQ2 or DQ8). Since the classic histologic alterations occur in the small intestine, the stomach, large intestine, and esophagus do not show these celiac-specific changes, making the small intestine the correct site.

Celiac disease causes distinctive changes in the lining of the small intestine, particularly the duodenum and proximal jejunum. The key histologic features are villous atrophy (loss or blunting of the intestinal villi), crypt hyperplasia (deepened crypts), and an increased number of intraepithelial lymphocytes. These changes shorten the absorptive surface and lead to malabsorption. Gluten exposure triggers this response in genetically predisposed individuals (often with HLA-DQ2 or DQ8). Since the classic histologic alterations occur in the small intestine, the stomach, large intestine, and esophagus do not show these celiac-specific changes, making the small intestine the correct site.