On this page
Basics
- Summary
- Start Here
- Diagnosis and Tests
Learn More
- Related Issues
- Specifics
- Genetics
See, Play and Learn
- No links available
Research
- Clinical Trials
- Journal Articles
Resources
- Find an Expert
For You
- Children
- Patient Handouts
Summary
Your small intestine does most of the digesting of the foods you eat. If you have a malabsorption syndrome, your small intestine cannot absorb nutrients from foods.
Causes of malabsorption syndromes include:
- Celiac disease
- Lactose intolerance
- Short bowel syndrome. This happens after surgery to remove half or more of the small intestine. You might need the surgery if you have a problem with the small intestine from a disease, injury, or birth defect.
- Whipple disease, a rare bacterial infection
- Genetic diseases
- Certain medicines
Symptoms of different malabsorption syndromes can vary. They often include chronic diarrhea, abnormal stools, weight loss, and gas. Your doctor may use lab, imaging, or other tests to make a diagnosis.
See Also
Malabsorption SyndromesWhat Is Malabsorption Syndrome?MalabsorptionOverview of Malabsorption - Overview of Malabsorption - Merck Manual Consumer VersionTreatment of malabsorption syndromes depends on the cause.
Start Here
- Malabsorption (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Overview of Malabsorption (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
Diagnosis and Tests
- Lower GI Series (Barium Enema)
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish - Stool Elastase (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Stool Tests (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Xylose Testing (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Alagille Syndrome (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
See Also
Malabsorption - IFFGD
Specifics
- Bassen-Kornzweig syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Intestinal Lymphangiectasia (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
- Short Bowel Syndrome (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Tropical sprue (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Whipple's Disease (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Genetics
- Abetalipoproteinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
- Congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
- Glucose-galactose malabsorption: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
- Hereditary folate malabsorption: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
- Lactose intolerance: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Malabsorption Syndromes (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Enteropathy and intestinal malabsorption in patients treated with antihypertensive drugs. A...
- Article: Fructose malabsorption and fructan malabsorption are associated in patients with irritable...
- Article: Infectious etiology and indicators of malabsorption or intestinal injury in childhood...
- Malabsorption Syndromes -- see more articles
Children
- Collecting a Stool Sample for Testing (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Failure to Thrive (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Intestinal Failure (Short Bowel Syndrome) (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Short Bowel Syndrome (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- D-xylose absorption (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Fecal fat (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Malabsorption (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Short bowel syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Small bowel bacterial overgrowth (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Stools - floating (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Whipple disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
