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Pronunciations lymphangiectasia

Tropical sprue is a disorder of unknown cause affecting people living in tropical and subtropical areas who develop abnormalities of the lining of the small intestine, leading to malabsorption and deficiencies of many nutrients.

• This disorder might be caused by an infection, but the real cause is not known.
• Typical symptoms include anemia, light-colored stools, chronic diarrhea, and weight loss.
• A doctor bases the diagnosis on symptoms in a person who lives in or has recently visited one of the areas in which the disorder commonly occurs.
• The antibiotic tetracyclineSome Trade Names
  ACHROMYCIN V
  TETRACYN
  SUMYCIN
  treats the disorder.

Tropical sprue occurs chiefly in the Caribbean, southern India, and Southeast Asia. Both natives and visitors may be affected, but children are rarely affected. The cause is unknown, but available evidence suggests an infectious cause.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Light-colored stools, chronic diarrhea, and weight loss are typical symptoms of tropical sprue. Other symptoms of malabsorption of specific nutrients may also develop. A sore tongue develops from vitamin B₂ deficiency. Anemia usually develops as a result of iron, vitamin B₁₂, or folate (folic acid) deficiency, causing fatigue and weakness.

A doctor considers the diagnosis of tropical sprue in a person with anemia and symptoms of malabsorption who lives in or has recently visited one of the areas in which the disorder commonly occurs. X-rays of the small intestine may or may not be abnormal. An endoscopic biopsy (in which a tissue sample is obtained through a flexible tube and examined microscopically) of the small intestine can show some characteristic but not specific abnormalities. A stool sample may be analyzed to exclude parasites or bacteria as a cause.

Treatment

A person suspected of having tropical sprue is treated with an antibiotic. TetracyclineSome Trade Names
ACHROMYCIN V
TETRACYN
SUMYCIN
is given over several months. Nutritional supplements, especially folate and vitamin B₁₂, are given as needed. Treatment usually results in a full recovery.

Last full review/revision December 2007 by Atenodoro R. Ruiz, Jr., MD