This set of symptoms is special, because if you make a list of its causes, symptoms and consequences, the list will contain at least two hundred points. However, still try to cope with the task easier, highlighting only the most important thing. The main thing in the syndrome is that certain nutrients cannot be absorbed by the body.
Serious diseases can be associated with malabsorption syndrome , for example, celiac disease (problems with the absorption of wheat protein). Most cases of total malabsorption due to genetics are a manifestation of celiac disease.
In a healthy body, most of what is eaten is absorbed and becomes the material for building their own cells, or the energy of the chemical bonds of this eaten is converted into energy spent on physiological processes. However, in a person suffering from malabsorption syndrome, certain nutrients are not absorbed. The reasons can be very different. Malabsorption syndrome is not strictly associated with one or even ten diseases; it presents surprises even to modern doctors who have already seen a lot.
If the syndrome is safely acquired throughout life, then most likely this is due to the removal of part of the stomach. It is clear that in the case of oncology the patient has no choice, but such an operation to lose weight is an extremely unreasonable action. The absence of part of the stomach does not allow you to grind food and treat it with hydrochloric acid as it should. Because of this, enzymes cannot penetrate to substrates (breakable substances) - and against the background of normal nutrition, the body begins to starve. Of course, a person is losing weight, of course, the body reduces the need for calories to a minimum, but such an existence is not a normal life at all. A person has to eat a lot so that at least something is assimilated.
Malabsorption syndrome is of three general types.
- Selective malabsorption: one substance is not absorbed (lactase deficiency, a person cannot drink unfermented milk).
- Partial malabsorption: a group of substances is not absorbed (abetalipoproteinemia, fats, cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins are not absorbed ).
- Total malabsorption: almost nothing is absorbed (celiac disease causes damage to the intestinal wall, which very seriously disrupts absorption).
Chronic malabsorption syndrome can be associated with four groups of causes:
- Disorders of the mucous membranes (intolerance to cow's milk)
- Chronic pancreatitis or liver dysfunction
- Structural Disorders (Crohn's Disease)
- Extraintestinal disorders (diabetes mellitus or eating disorder)
Malabsorption syndrome in children can lead to a slowdown, so if the baby has low hemoglobin, the child grows poorly against a background of good appetite, chronic diarrhea, fat in the stool - you should immediately ask the therapist for a referral to a gastroenterologist (pediatric).
The consequences for both adults and children are very serious: osteoporosis, urolithiasis, anemia, heart attacks, cholelithiasis and various forms of dystrophy. In women, things can go to infertility, in children - to rickets. And if you do not notice celiac disease in a child, you can even get bowel cancer. Therefore, you need to be especially attentive to the baby, observe how he reacts to different foods. In the case of celiac disease, it will be enough just to exclude the “wrong” protein - and after a while the intestinal mucosa will return to normal.
For many people, malabsorption syndrome is associated with the use of inappropriate foods. Once they are removed from the nutrition plan, the condition normalizes very quickly. Yes, sometimes it’s difficult to refuse certain types of food - but health is more expensive. Of course, if the child has celiac disease, then there will be no choice - wheat protein should be expelled from the table forever.