What is malabsorption syndrome, Biology

Assignment Help:

Q. What is Malabsorption Syndrome?

Did you know that a major part of the absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine and the set of enzymes involved in this process are called disaccharidases. In some conditions either genetically, or due to some intestinal damage there appears to be a deficiency of some of these enzymes, which in turn, leads to the malabsorption of some of the nutrients precipitating symptoms of diarrhoea, dissention and abdominal discomfort and steatorrhoea (fat in stools).

These conditions are together referred to as Malabsorption Syndromes. The term 'malabsorption syndrome', as you have learnt earlier also, is used to describe deficient absorption to a variable degree of a number of substances such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water.

Before we understand about this syndrome, let us look at the following case study. Anuradha, a teenager, presents to the physician's office with a two-year history of intermittent diarrhoea. Her reports reveal a past history of anaemia, anorexia and minor abdominal pain. Her weight has been the same for two years now. Her mother has attributed this to her having n "rough time in school". Her mother also questions whether the symptoms could be related to a recent move from their home. She has not yet reached menarche; A diet history suggests a normal diet with adequate iron intake. Can you guess what she suffers from and what could be the causative factors leading to such a condition?


Related Discussions:- What is malabsorption syndrome

Meat product quality assurance, P r o d u c t Quality Assurance M...

P r o d u c t Quality Assurance Meat products should be manufactured under strict hygiene and sanitary conditions to avoid public health risks and improve aesthetic appea

Eggs found in storage, I stored a few of my things from April to September ...

I stored a few of my things from April to September this year. When I wanted to unpack the boxes, I found hundreds of round, small, black things. They look like they might be snail

Explain about thiol proteases, Explain about thiol proteases Group of  ...

Explain about thiol proteases Group of  thiol proteases, similar in structure to each other, are found in plants. These include  papain from the papaya fruit and  ficain from f

Explain the basic concept of proteins, Explain the Basic Concept of Protein...

Explain the Basic Concept of Proteins? Proteins, as we already knows by now are products of amino acids. Each molecule of protein is composed of many molecules of amino acids j

Gluconeogenesis, Gluconeogenesis Gluconeogenesis is the procedure throu...

Gluconeogenesis Gluconeogenesis is the procedure through that glucose is synthesized from smaller easier molecules such as lactate and pyruvate. Although the catabolic linear p

Haemostatic mechanisms - circulation, Normal 0 false false ...

Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Zoology, main external morphological feature that differentiates platyhelmi...

main external morphological feature that differentiates platyhelminthes from nematodes

Haustorial behavior of embryo sac, Haustorial Behavior of Embryo Sac ...

Haustorial Behavior of Embryo Sac There are instances in which the entire embryo sac may grow beyond the ovular tissue. The central cell may also form multicellular projectio

How do you prevent food borne infection, How do you prevent food borne infe...

How do you prevent food borne infection? Prevention of Food borne infections: Avoid consumption of contaminated foods and water Eat properly cooked foods Wash

Scientific american article suggests some improvement, The human skeleton h...

The human skeleton has evolved from that of four-legged animals. Unfortunately, the adaptation is far from perfect; thus, our upright posture causes problems like back age and the

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd