Malabsorption

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Malabsorption

Home

Overview

Classification

Infection
Structural defect
Digestive failure
Systemic disease
Iatrogenic

Differentiating Malabsorption from other Diseases

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sadaf Sharfaei M.D.[2]

Overview

Malabsorption is a condition which is associated with impaired absorption of one or all dietary nutrients. There are multiple etiologies with diminished intestinal absorption. Many of them present with diarrhea, especially steatorrhea. They might have malabsorption of carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, and/or minerals. Malabsorption is occurred following intestinal mucosal or structural defects. Malabsorption according to etiology may be classified into five main groups including infection, structural defect, digestive failure, systemic disease, and iatrogenic causes. Different workups might be used to differentiate diagnosis of malabsorption including small bowel biopsy, stool exam, breath testings, lab findings, and imagings.

Classification

Malabsorption according to etiology may be classified into five main groups:[1][2]

Malabsorption classification
Infection
Viral HIV
Bacterial Tuberculosis
Tropical sprue
Whipple's disease
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome
Parasitic Giardia
Isospora
Structural or enzyme defect
Blind loop syndrome
Fistula
Diverticula
Stricture
Lactase deficiency
Digestive failure
Pancreatic insufficiency Cystic fibrosis
Chronic pancreatitis
Pancreatic cancer
Zollinger–Ellison syndrome
VIPoma
Carcinoid syndrome
Bile acid malabsorption
Systemic disease
Celiac disease
Inflammatory bowel disease Crohn's disease
Ulcerative colitis
Infiltrative disorders Amyloidosis
Lymphoma
Eosinophilic gastroenteritis
Endocrine abnormalities Diabetes mellitus
Hypothyroidism
Hyperthyroidism
Hyperparathyroidism
Hypoparathyroidism
Addison's disease
Immunologic disorders Common variable immunodeficiency
Abetalipoproteinemia
Iatrogenic
Medication
Radiation
Post surgery Gastrectomy
Bariatric surgery
Short bowel syndrome

Differentiating malabsorption from other Diseases

To review the differential diagnosis of diarrhea, click here.

The following table outlines the major differential diagnoses of malabsorption.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]

Categories Cause Clinical manifestation Lab findings
Symptoms Findings
Duration Diarrhea Fever Abdominal pain Weight loss
Stool exam CBC
Acute Chronic Watery Bloody Fatty WBC Hgb Plt
Gastrointestinal Crohn's disease + + + + ± + + WBC +

RBC +

Ulcerative colitis + + + + ± + + WBC +

RBC +

Celiac disease + ± ± + + Fat droplets on sudan stain Nl Nl
Cause Duration Diarrhea Fever Abdominal pain Weight loss Findings Stool exam CBC
Acute Chronic Watery Bloody Fatty WBC Hgb Plt
Cystic fibrosis + + ± + + Fat droplets on sudan stain Nl Nl
Chronic pancreatitis + + + + + Fat droplets on sudan stain

Fecal elastase +

Nl Nl Nl
Bile acid malabsorption + + + + Fat droplets on sudan stain Nl Nl Nl
Lactose intolerance + + + + Nl Nl Nl
Infection Bacterial Cause Duration Diarrhea Fever Abdominal pain Weight loss Findings Stool exam CBC
Acute Chronic Watery Bloody Fatty WBC Hgb Plt
Whipple's disease + + + ± + + Fecal fat + ↓/↑
Tropical sprue + + + + + + + WBC +

Stool culture +

Nl Nl
Small bowel bacterial overgrowth + + + + + WBC +

Stool culture +

Fecal fat +

Nl Nl
Cause Duration Diarrhea Fever Abdominal pain Weight loss Findings Stool exam CBC
Acute Chronic Watery Bloody Fatty WBC Hgb Plt
Virus HIV + + + + + WBC + Nl
Parasite Giardia + + + + + Ova + Nl Nl Nl
Isospora + + + + + + + WBC +

RBC +

Ova +

Fecal fat +

Nl Nl
Tumors VIPoma + + + + + + Nl Nl Nl
Zollinger–Ellison syndrome + + + + + + Nl Nl
Cause Duration Diarrhea Fever Abdominal pain Weight loss Findings Stool exam CBC
Acute Chronic Watery Bloody Fatty WBC Hgb Plt
Lymphoma + + + + + + RBC + Nl Nl
Medication/Toxicity + + + ± ± + + Nl Nl
Iatrogenic Short bowel syndrome + + + + + Fecal fat + Nl
Radiation enteritis + + + + + + + WBC +

RBC +

Fecal fat +

Nl Nl
Others Cause Duration Diarrhea Fever Abdominal pain Weight loss Findings Stool exam CBC
Acute Chronic Watery Bloody Fatty WBC Hgb Plt
Abetalipoproteinemia + + + + + Nl Nl Nl
Hyperthyroidism + + ± + +
  • Lump in the neck
Fecal fat + Nl Nl Nl
Diabetic neuropathy + + + + + Fecal fat + Nl Nl
Systemic sclerosis + + ± + + + RBC +

Fecal fat +

Nl Nl

References

  1. Papadia C, Di Sabatino A, Corazza GR, Forbes A (2014). "Diagnosing small bowel malabsorption: a review". Intern Emerg Med. 9 (1): 3–8. doi:10.1007/s11739-012-0877-7. PMID 23179329.
  2. Freeman HJ (2000). "Small intestinal mucosal biopsy for investigation of diarrhea and malabsorption in adults". Gastrointest. Endosc. Clin. N. Am. 10 (4): 739–53, vii. PMID 11036541.
  3. Casburn-Jones, Anna C; Farthing, Michael Jg (2004). "Traveler's diarrhea". Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 19 (6): 610–618. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2003.03287.x. ISSN 0815-9319.
  4. Kamat, Deepak; Mathur, Ambika (2006). "Prevention and Management of Travelers' Diarrhea". Disease-a-Month. 52 (7): 289–302. doi:10.1016/j.disamonth.2006.08.003. ISSN 0011-5029.
  5. Pfeiffer, Margaret L.; DuPont, Herbert L.; Ochoa, Theresa J. (2012). "The patient presenting with acute dysentery – A systematic review". Journal of Infection. 64 (4): 374–386. doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2012.01.006. ISSN 0163-4453.
  6. Barr W, Smith A (2014). "Acute diarrhea". Am Fam Physician. 89 (3): 180–9. PMID 24506120.
  7. Amil Dias J (2017). "Celiac Disease: What Do We Know in 2017?". GE Port J Gastroenterol. 24 (6): 275–278. doi:10.1159/000479881. PMID 29255768.
  8. Kotloff KL, Riddle MS, Platts-Mills JA, Pavlinac P, Zaidi A (2017). "Shigellosis". Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33296-8. PMID 29254859. Vancouver style error: initials (help)
  9. Yamamoto-Furusho, J.K.; Bosques-Padilla, F.; de-Paula, J.; Galiano, M.T.; Ibañez, P.; Juliao, F.; Kotze, P.G.; Rocha, J.L.; Steinwurz, F.; Veitia, G.; Zaltman, C. (2017). "Diagnóstico y tratamiento de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal: Primer Consenso Latinoamericano de la Pan American Crohn's and Colitis Organisation". Revista de Gastroenterología de México. 82 (1): 46–84. doi:10.1016/j.rgmx.2016.07.003. ISSN 0375-0906.
  10. Borbély, Yves M; Osterwalder, Alice; Kröll, Dino; Nett, Philipp C; Inglin, Roman A (2017). "Diarrhea after bariatric procedures: Diagnosis and therapy". World Journal of Gastroenterology. 23 (26): 4689. doi:10.3748/wjg.v23.i26.4689. ISSN 1007-9327.
  11. Crawford, Sue E.; Ramani, Sasirekha; Tate, Jacqueline E.; Parashar, Umesh D.; Svensson, Lennart; Hagbom, Marie; Franco, Manuel A.; Greenberg, Harry B.; O'Ryan, Miguel; Kang, Gagandeep; Desselberger, Ulrich; Estes, Mary K. (2017). "Rotavirus infection". Nature Reviews Disease Primers. 3: 17083. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2017.83. ISSN 2056-676X.
  12. Kist M (2000). "[Chronic diarrhea: value of microbiology in diagnosis]". Praxis (Bern 1994) (in German). 89 (39): 1559–65. PMID 11068510.
  13. Guerrant RL, Shields DS, Thorson SM, Schorling JB, Gröschel DH (1985). "Evaluation and diagnosis of acute infectious diarrhea". Am. J. Med. 78 (6B): 91–8. PMID 4014291.
  14. López-Vélez R, Turrientes MC, Garrón C, Montilla P, Navajas R, Fenoy S, del Aguila C (1999). "Microsporidiosis in travelers with diarrhea from the tropics". J Travel Med. 6 (4): 223–7. PMID 10575169.
  15. Wahnschaffe, Ulrich; Ignatius, Ralf; Loddenkemper, Christoph; Liesenfeld, Oliver; Muehlen, Marion; Jelinek, Thomas; Burchard, Gerd Dieter; Weinke, Thomas; Harms, Gundel; Stein, Harald; Zeitz, Martin; Ullrich, Reiner; Schneider, Thomas (2009). "Diagnostic value of endoscopy for the diagnosis of giardiasis and other intestinal diseases in patients with persistent diarrhea from tropical or subtropical areas". Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. 42 (3): 391–396. doi:10.1080/00365520600881193. ISSN 0036-5521.
  16. Mena Bares LM, Carmona Asenjo E, García Sánchez MV, Moreno Ortega E, Maza Muret FR, Guiote Moreno MV, Santos Bueno AM, Iglesias Flores E, Benítez Cantero JM, Vallejo Casas JA (2017). "75SeHCAT scan in bile acid malabsorption in chronic diarrhoea". Rev Esp Med Nucl Imagen Mol. 36 (1): 37–47. doi:10.1016/j.remn.2016.08.005. PMID 27765536.
  17. Gibson RJ, Stringer AM (2009). "Chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea". Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 3 (1): 31–5. doi:10.1097/SPC.0b013e32832531bb. PMID 19365159.
  18. Abraham BP, Sellin JH (2012). "Drug-induced, factitious, & idiopathic diarrhoea". Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 26 (5): 633–48. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2012.11.007. PMID 23384808.
  19. Reintam Blaser A, Deane AM, Fruhwald S (2015). "Diarrhoea in the critically ill". Curr Opin Crit Care. 21 (2): 142–53. doi:10.1097/MCC.0000000000000188. PMID 25692805.
  20. McMahan ZH, DuPont HL (2007). "Review article: the history of acute infectious diarrhoea management--from poorly focused empiricism to fluid therapy and modern pharmacotherapy". Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 25 (7): 759–69. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2036.2007.03261.x. PMID 17373914.
  21. Schiller LR (2012). "Definitions, pathophysiology, and evaluation of chronic diarrhoea". Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 26 (5): 551–62. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2012.11.011. PMID 23384801.
  22. Giannella RA (1986). "Chronic diarrhea in travelers: diagnostic and therapeutic considerations". Rev. Infect. Dis. 8 Suppl 2: S223–6. PMID 3523719.
  23. Silverberg MS, Satsangi J, Ahmad T, Arnott ID, Bernstein CN, Brant SR; et al. (2005). "Toward an integrated clinical, molecular and serological classification of inflammatory bowel disease: report of a Working Party of the 2005 Montreal World Congress of Gastroenterology". Can J Gastroenterol. 19 Suppl A: 5A–36A. PMID 16151544.
  24. Sauter GH, Moussavian AC, Meyer G, Steitz HO, Parhofer KG, Jüngst D (2002). "Bowel habits and bile acid malabsorption in the months after cholecystectomy". Am J Gastroenterol. 97 (7): 1732–5. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2002.05779.x. PMID 12135027.
  25. Maiuri L, Raia V, Potter J, Swallow D, Ho MW, Fiocca R; et al. (1991). "Mosaic pattern of lactase expression by villous enterocytes in human adult-type hypolactasia". Gastroenterology. 100 (2): 359–69. PMID 1702075.
  26. RUBIN CE, BRANDBORG LL, PHELPS PC, TAYLOR HC (1960). "Studies of celiac disease. I. The apparent identical and specific nature of the duodenal and proximal jejunal lesion in celiac disease and idiopathic sprue". Gastroenterology. 38: 28–49. PMID 14439871.
  27. Konvolinka CW (1994). "Acute diverticulitis under age forty". Am J Surg. 167 (6): 562–5. PMID 8209928.
  28. Satsangi J, Silverberg MS, Vermeire S, Colombel JF (2006). "The Montreal classification of inflammatory bowel disease: controversies, consensus, and implications". Gut. 55 (6): 749–53. doi:10.1136/gut.2005.082909. PMC 1856208. PMID 16698746.
  29. Haque R, Huston CD, Hughes M, Houpt E, Petri WA (2003). "Amebiasis". N Engl J Med. 348 (16): 1565–73. doi:10.1056/NEJMra022710. PMID 12700377.
  30. Hertzler SR, Savaiano DA (1996). "Colonic adaptation to daily lactose feeding in lactose maldigesters reduces lactose intolerance". Am J Clin Nutr. 64 (2): 232–6. PMID 8694025.
  31. Briet F, Pochart P, Marteau P, Flourie B, Arrigoni E, Rambaud JC (1997). "Improved clinical tolerance to chronic lactose ingestion in subjects with lactose intolerance: a placebo effect?". Gut. 41 (5): 632–5. PMC 1891556. PMID 9414969.
  32. BLACK-SCHAFFER B (1949). "The tinctoral demonstration of a glycoprotein in Whipple's disease". Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 72 (1): 225–7. PMID 15391722.