malabsorption

Imperfect, inadequate, or otherwise disordered gastrointestinal absorption.

- congenital selective glucose and galactose m. an inherited disorder in which d-glucose and d-galactose accumulate in the intestinal lumen and exert an osmotic effect; leads to abdominal fullness, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

- enterocyte cobalamin m. an inherited disorder of impaired transintestinal transport of cobalamin; symptoms are similar to a vitamin B₁₂ deficiency.

- fructose m. an inborn error in metabolism in which oral d-fructose is incompletely absorbed; results in abdominal symptoms and diarrhea.

- hereditary folate m. an inherited disorder in which there is defective transport of folates in intestine and choroid plexus, results in megaloblastic anemia and neurologic abnormalities.

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mal·ab·sorp·tion .mal-əb-'sȯrp-shən, -'zȯrp- n faulty absorption of nutrient materials from the alimentary canal called also malassimilation

mal·ab·sorp·tive -tiv adj

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n.

a state in which absorption of one or more substances by the small intestine is reduced. It most commonly affects fat (causing steatorrhoea), some vitamins (such as B₁₂, folic acid, vitamin D, and vitamin K), electrolyte (such as calcium, potassium), iron, and amino acids. Symptoms (depending on the substances involved) include weight loss, diarrhoea, anaemia, swelling (oedema), and vitamin deficiencies. The commonest causes are coeliac disease, pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, blind loop syndrome, or surgical removal of a length of small intestine.

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mal·ab·sorp·tion (mal″əb-sorpґshən) impaired intestinal absorption of nutrients; see also malabsorption syndrome, under syndrome. Sometimes malabsorption is artificially induced as a treatment of morbid obesity, such as with jejunoileal bypass.