Malabsorption causes

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]

Causes

Due to Infective Agents

• Whipple's disease
• Intestinal tuberculosis
• HIV related malabsorption
• Tropical sprue
• Traveller's diarrhoea
• Parasites e.g. Giardia lamblia, fish tape worm (B12 malabsorption); round warm , hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus).

Due to Structural Defects

• Blind loops
• Inflammatory bowel diseases commonly in Crohn's Disease
• Intestinal hurry from Post-gastrectomy; post-vagotomy, gastro-jejunostomy
• Fistulae, diverticulae and strictures,
• Infiltrative conditions such as amyloidosis, lymphoma, Eosinophilic gastroenteropathy
• Radiation enteritis
• Systemic sclerosis and collagen vascular diseases

Due to Mucosal Abnormality

• Celiac disease
• Cows' milk intolerance
• Soya milk intolerance

Due to Enzyme Defeciencies

• Lactase deficiency inducing lactose intolerance (constitutional, secondary or rarely congenital)
• Sucrose intolerance
• Intestinal disaccharidase defeciency
• Intestinal enteropeptidase defeciency

Due to Digestive Failure

• Pancreatic insuffeciencies:
  • cystic fibrosis
  • chronic pancreatitis
  • carcinoma of pancreas
  • Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
• Bile salt malabsorption
  • terminal ileal disease
  • obstructive jaundice
  • bacterial overgrowth

Due to Other Systemic Diseases Affecting GI Tract

• Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
• Addison's disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Hyperparathyroidism and Hypoparathyroidism
• Carcinoid syndrome
• Malnutrition
• Abeta-lipoproteinemia