Diagnosing small bowel malabsorption: a review

Cinzia Papadia, Antonio Di Sabatino, Gino Roberto Corazza, Alastair Forbes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Malabsorption encompasses dysfunctions occurring during the digestion and absorption of nutrients. A small proportion of patients presents with chronic diarrhoea. A clinical history supportive of malabsorption may guide investigations toward either the small bowel or pancreas. Serological testing for coeliac disease will determine most cases without invasive investigations. In the clinical context of persisting weight loss and malnutrition, small bowel enteropathy may be investigated with small intestinal biopsies. Small bowel absorptive capacity and permeability might be measured by oral sugar-mix ingestion. Further, approaches to the investigation of malabsorption might also involve the detection in faeces of a substance that has not been absorbed. A variation of the latter is the use of breath testing which relies on the breakdown of the malabsorbed test substance by colonic flora. Measurement of protein absorption is difficult and unreliable; it is, therefore, rarely advocated in clinical settings. No single biological marker confirming a diagnosis of small bowel malabsorption or small bowel integrity is presently available in clinical practice. Plasma citrulline concentration, an amino acid not incorporated into endogenous or exogenous proteins, has been extensively used in research studies and supportive results are establishing its concentration as a reliable quantitative biomarker of enterocyte absorptive capacity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3-8
Number of pages6
JournalInternal and Emergency Medicine
Volume9
Issue number1
Early online date21 Nov 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2014

Keywords

  • Celiac Disease
  • Citrulline
  • Crohn Disease
  • Feces
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Absorption
  • Intestinal Mucosa
  • Malabsorption Syndromes
  • Protein-Energy Malnutrition

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