Malabsorption Syndrome

Definition:
It includes all conditions associated with disorders of digestion and failure of absorption of essential constituents of food characterized mainly by chronic diarrhea and malnutrition.
Causes:

• Inadequate digestion: Partial or complete gastrectomy, obstructive jaundice, biliary cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, fibrocystic disease of pancreas pancreatic carcinoma, lactase and sucrase deficiency, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
• Disease of intestine:
  a) Inadequate absorptive surface: Resection of the gut, regional enteritis, bypass surgery.
  b) Inflammatory or infiltrative disease: Amyloidosis, Scleroderma, lamphoma, various skin disorders, tuberculous enterocolitis, cosinophilic enteritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease.
  c) Biochemical abnormalities: Non-tropical sprue, Hartnup disease, Coeliac disease.
  d) Lymphatic obstruction: Tabes mesenterica, Lymphoma, Whipple's disease, Talengiectasia.
  e)Altered bacterial flora: Blind loop syndrome, gastrocolic fistula, dicerticulosis, multiple strictures.
• Disease of liver: Chronic liver disease, eg- cirrhosis of liver, intra or extra hepatic cholestasis.
• Cardiovascular causes: Mesenteric artery insufficiency, constructive pericarditis, chronic congestive cardiac failure.
• Deficiency of pancreatic lipase: Chronic pancreatitis, fibrocystic disease of panceas, pancreatic carcinoma.
• Endocrine and metabolic disorders:
  a) Thyrotoxicosis
  b) Hypoparathyrodism
  e) Islet cell tumour of pancreas
  f) Carcinoid mellitus
  g) Diabetes mellitus
  h) Adrenal insufficiency
• Drugs:
  a) Neomycin
  b)Cholestyramine
  e) Methyl dopa
  g) Calcium carbonate.