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Malabsorption is a condition in which the body does not effectively absorb nutrients from food in the small intestine. Malabsorption can be caused by a wide variety of diseases or disorders, including celiac disease, chronic liver disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and lactose intolerance. Other conditions that can cause malabsorption include some surgeries of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastrectomy or gastric bypass. Parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract and some genetic diseases are other potential causes of malabsorption.
Malabsorption is common and can affect anyone. Some diseases that cause malabsorption are inherited or have a genetic component. Other risk factors for developing a condition or disease that result in malabsorption include having gastrointestinal surgery, alcoholism, or HIV/AIDS. People with certain other conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, autoimmune liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and microscopic colitis are also at risk for developing malabsorption.
Malabsorption can involve a difficulty or inability to absorb all nutrients from food, or it can involve only specific nutrients, such as certain carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, or proteins. In a healthy gastrointestinal tract, most absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine. Any disease or disorder that interferes with the intestines ability to absorb nutrients can lead to malabsorption. Examples include celiac disease, in which a gluten intolerance damages the small intestine, and some parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract.
Malabsorption may also occur when a disease or disorder interferes with the normal mixing of food with digestive juices and acid in the stomach. This can occur when part of the stomach is removed surgically. In addition, any condition that obstructs or impedes the normal production of digestive enzymes may also lead to malabsorption. These conditions include pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
Symptoms and complications of malabsorption vary in character and severity depending on the specific cause of the condition and other factors. However, some symptoms and complications are similar in most conditions due to the due to the lack of nutrients that the body receives. These can include weakness and malnutrition. For more information on symptoms, refer to symptoms of malabsorption.
Making a diagnosis of malabsorption and its underlying cause begins with taking a thorough medical history, including symptoms, and completing a physical examination. Diagnostic tests may include imaging studies that examine the small intestine stomach and/or pancreas for abnormalities that lead to malabsorption. These may include endoscopy, colonoscopy, X-rays, and upper or lower GI studies with barium.
A sample of the small intestine may also be taken to examine under a microscope for abnormalities. This is called a biopsy. Blood tests can reveal a large amount of diagnostic information, such as nutritional deficiencies, the presence of anemia, and the presence of high levels of certain antibodies, which may indicate such causes of malabsorption as celiac disease.
It is possible that a diagnosis of malabsorption can be missed or delayed because symptoms can be vague and resemble symptoms of less serious conditions, such as mild gastroenteritis. For more information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of malabsorption.
Treatment of malabsorption varies widely, depending on the cause and underlying diseases, the severity of symptoms, the person's age and medical history, and other factors. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of malabsorption....more »
A diagnosis of malabsorption may be delayed or missed because some symptoms can be vague and may initially be attributed to another less serious condition. For example, gas and abdominal bloating are typical symptoms of malabsorption, but may be overlooked because it is easy to assume it is related to other factors, such as overeating.
Pinpointing a diagnosis can ...more misdiagnosis »
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Malabsorption.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 219 causes of Malabsorption
» Review Causes of Malabsorption: Causes | Symptom Checker »
Home medical tests possibly related to Malabsorption:
Review causes of types of Malabsorption in more specific categories:
See full list of 2 types for Malabsorption
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Malabsorption, as listed in our database. Visit the Symptom Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
See full list of 501 Symptom Checkers for Malabsorption
The treatment plan for malabsorption varies depending on the cause and underlying disease, the severity of symptoms, a person's age and medical history, and other factors.
Treatment often involves pinpointing and replacing missing vitamins and nutrients with supplementation. Other medications may be needed depending on the underlying conditions. Medications may include ...Malabsorption Treatments
Some of the possible treatments listed in sources for treatment of Malabsorption may include:
Review further information on Malabsorption Treatments.
Real-life user stories relating to Malabsorption:
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Some of the comorbid or associated medical symptoms for Malabsorption may include these symptoms:
See all associated comorbid symptoms for Malabsorption
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Research the causes of related medical symptoms such as:
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Malabsorption:
Read more about causes and Malabsorption deaths.
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed. The best known, ...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely to cause some level of diarrhea in patients. The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria, but can also kill the "good" bacteria in the gut. This leads...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning). In fact, it's more likely to be an infectious diarrheal...read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it can, of course, also fail to be...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases. Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, or GERD....read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Malabsorption
Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:
Research extensive quality ratings and patient safety measures for hospitals, clinics and medical facilities in health specialties related to Malabsorption:
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Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Malabsorption: Imperfect, inadequate, or otherwise disordered gastrointestinal absorption.
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Abnormal absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Impaired absorption of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract.
- (Source - CRISP)
The list below shows some of the causes of Malabsorption mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 219 causes of Malabsorption
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Malabsorption. Of the 219 causes of Malabsorption that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
See the analysis of the prevalence of 219 causes of Malabsorption
The following list of conditions have 'Malabsorption' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Malabsorption or choose View All.
The following list of medical conditions have Malabsorption or similar listed as a medical complication in our database. The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear, and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.
Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.
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This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Malabsorption based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Medical Conditions associated with Malabsorption:
Digestive symptoms (5299 causes), Intestinal symptoms (5299 causes), Lower abdominal symptoms (3048 causes), Abdominal symptoms (5930 causes), Digestive system symptoms (5299 causes), Eating symptoms (2462 causes), Nutrition symptoms (614 causes), Food symptoms (1907 causes)
Symptoms related to Malabsorption:
Diarrhea (2312 causes), Weight loss (2248 causes), Digestive symptoms (5299 causes), Overactive thyroid gland, Intestinal tumor, Intestinal cancer, Intestinal surgery, Abdominal surgery, Crohn's disease, Diverticular disease, Liver disease, Gall bladder disease, Celiac disease
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
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Copyright © 2011 Health Grades Inc. All rights reserved. Last Update: 1 February, 2012 (0:28)
