Tropical Malabsorption Syndrome in West India

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Abstract
Patients with chronic diarrhea not due to pathogens, anatomical lesions of the small bowel, or lesions of the colon were studied A comparison of clinical features, hematological features, and intestinal mucosa in patients with malabsorption of at least two substances were compared to those who showed malabsorption of one test substance. This comparison together with observation of serial absorption studies in a few patients suggested that tropical sprue may present as a spectrum with patients having malabsorption of fat, d-xylose, and vitamin B12 with edema, weight loss, and severe folate deficiency at one end and patients with only isolated malabsorption at the other. Furthermore, patients who showed a full-blown picture on one occasion may have only malabsorption of an isolated substance on another. A comparison of jejunal anti ileal biopsy together with a study of the incidence of d-xylose malabsorption and vitamin B12 malabsorption suggested that an ileal lesion was of considerable importance in tropical sprue. The effect of a high protein diet and antibiotics showed that both these forms of treatment resulted in objective improvement.

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