What histological finding is typical of celiac disease?

What histological finding is typical of celiac disease?

• A. Villous atrophy with crypt hyperplasia
• B. Granulomas in mucosa
• C. Goblet cell hyperplasia
• D. Lymphoid aggregates only

Answer: (A)

Gluten-induced injury in the small intestine produces a characteristic pattern of damage: the finger-like villi are flattened (villous atrophy) and the crypts become enlarged and more proliferative (crypt hyperplasia). This combination reflects loss of absorptive surface and a regenerative response to immune-mediated damage, and it is accompanied by increased intraepithelial lymphocytes and mucosal inflammation. Granulomas are not typical of celiac disease (they point toward Crohn disease), goblet cell hyperplasia is not the defining change here, and while lymphoid aggregates can be seen, they do not alone explain the villous blunting and crypt changes. So the best description is villous atrophy with crypt hyperplasia.

Gluten-induced injury in the small intestine produces a characteristic pattern of damage: the finger-like villi are flattened (villous atrophy) and the crypts become enlarged and more proliferative (crypt hyperplasia). This combination reflects loss of absorptive surface and a regenerative response to immune-mediated damage, and it is accompanied by increased intraepithelial lymphocytes and mucosal inflammation. Granulomas are not typical of celiac disease (they point toward Crohn disease), goblet cell hyperplasia is not the defining change here, and while lymphoid aggregates can be seen, they do not alone explain the villous blunting and crypt changes. So the best description is villous atrophy with crypt hyperplasia.