Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0024523 (malabsorption)
 7,319 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Intestinal parasites not only cause diarrheal illnesses but may also cause significant malabsorption in man. Separation of true malabsorption caused by a particular parasite from other factors that may coexist with and even mimic malabsorption, such as malnutrition may be very difficult. Despite these problems, it appears that giardiasis, coccidiasis, strongyloidiasis and capillariasis cause malabsorption of many important nutrients. D. latum interfere with vitamin B12 absorption.
 ...
PMID:Parasites ana malabsorption. 39 Oct 37

Intestinal capillariasis caused by Capillaria philippinensis appeared first in the Philippines and subsequently in Thailand, Japan, Iran, Egypt, and Taiwan, but most infections occur in the Philippines and Thailand. As established experimentally, the life cycle involves freshwater fish as intermediate hosts and fish-eating birds as definitive hosts. Embryonated eggs from feces fed to fish hatch and grow as larvae in the fish intestines. Infective larvae fed to monkeys, Mongolian gerbils, and fish-eating birds develop into adults. Larvae become adults in 10 to 11 days, and the first-generation females produce larvae. These larvae develop into males and egg-producing female worms. Eggs pass with the feces, reach water, embryonate, and infect fish. Autoinfection is part of the life cycle and leads to hyperinfection. Humans acquire the infection by eating small freshwater fish raw. The parasite multiplies, and symptoms of diarrhea, borborygmus, abdominal pain, and edema develop. Chronic infections lead to malabsorption and hence to protein and electrolyte loss, and death results from irreversible effects of the infection. Treatment consists of electrolyte replacement and administration of an antidiarrheal agent and mebendazole or albendazole. Capillariasis philippinensis is considered a zoonotic disease of migratory fish-eating birds. The eggs are disseminated along flyways and infect the fish, and when fish are eaten raw, the disease develops.
 ...
PMID:Intestinal capillariasis. 157 84

Two cases of intestinal capillariasis were presented from new locations in northern Thailand, i.e., Phayao and Chiang Mai provinces. Both of them had chronic voluminous diarrhea and malabsorption. It was believed that they acquired the infection indigenously. Both adult worms and their eggs, presented in the feces, were identified as Capillaria philippinensis but with morphological variation. The infection was treated effectively with a prolonged administration of mebendazole.
 ...
PMID:Intestinal capillariasis: indigenous cases from Chiang Mai and Phayao provinces, Thailand. 224 30

In summary, it appears that giardiasis, coccidiosis, cryptosporidiosis, strongyloidiasis, capillariasis and perhaps P. falciparum malaria are the only parasitic diseases which cause malabsorption of many nutrients. D. latum and A. lumbricoides interfere with vitamin B12 and vitamin A absorption, respectively. In view of the increasing use of immunosuppressive therapy, it is likely that malabsorption caused by intestinal parasites may become even more evident in the future.
 ...
PMID:Parasites and malabsorption. 640 70