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)

Diarrhoea is defined as the frequent passage of loose or watery stools. Most patients can easily recognise and accurately define acute diarrhoea as an abrupt change in their bowel habits. Chronic or recurrent diarrhoea is more difficult for the patient to define, since it may mean malabsorption, tenesmus or true diarrhoea. Serious disorders not to be missed include neoplasia, AIDS, various serious infections such as amoebiasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
 ...
PMID:Diarrhoea. 152 Jan 38

To investigate whether the clinical history and basic laboratory test results can differentiate between an organic or functional cause of chronic diarrhea and thus avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and invasive procedures, we reviewed the charts of 58 adult patients admitted during 6 years because of chronic diarrhea who had normal stool and colonic examinations. The final diagnoses were irritable bowel syndrome in 34 patients, organic diarrhea in 21, and unknown cause in three. The following clinical data did not help in the differential diagnosis: age, sex, duration of diarrhea, presence of continuous diarrhea, abdominal pain, stool frequency or volume, and presence of stool mucus. Significant weight loss, nocturnal diarrhea, and the absence of tenesmus were associated with an organic cause. One or more laboratory alterations (increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anemia, hypokalemia, and low serum albumin level) were found in 62% of patients with organic diarrhea but in only 3% of those with functional disease; p less than 0.001. In 20 of 21 patients with organic diarrhea, an syndromic diagnosis (fat malabsorption, n = 13; inflammatory bowel disease, n = 4; and secretory diarrhea, n = 3) could be obtained with three simple tests (stool fat, rectal biopsy, and fecal water osmolality and electrolyte determination, respectively). Our study confirms that a detailed history and a few simple laboratory data can help to distinguish between functional and organic diarrhea and so avoid extensive investigation. The syndromic diagnosis of organic diarrhea can also be approximated with relatively easy tests.
 ...
PMID:Chronic diarrhea with normal stool and colonic examinations: organic or functional? 174 88

Diabetic diarrhea and steatorrhea occur predominantly in young adult males who have juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus complicated by neuropathy. The presentation is often severe, with nocturnal or postprandial watery diarrhea and tenesmus. Massive malabsorption of fat may occur; however, malabsorption of other nutrients and generalized wasting are quite rare. Because the symptoms are relatively refractory to treatment, it is important to rule out other, more easily treatable causes of this presentation. Bacterial overgrowth, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and celiac disease are also associated with diabetes mellitus and can mimic this process. Although the mechanism of diabetic diarrhea and steatorrhea remains unclear, neuropathy, gastrointestinal motor abnormalities, bacterial overgrowth, and bile acid abnormalities have been implicated in the pathogenesis.
 ...
PMID:Small intestinal manifestations of diabetes mellitus. 665 61