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Malabsorption is the state of impaired absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. It has many different potential causes. Specific causes lead to different patterns in malabsorption. It may involve fat and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K); it may also affect vitamin B12, folic acid, iron, protein and carbohydrates. Diarrhea is often present clinically, although this may not be the immediate cause for seeing a physician. // Nutrients and the body A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organisms metabolism, growth, or other functioning. ...
Diagram showing the small intestine In biology the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract between the stomach and the large intestine (colon). ...
Retinol (Vitamin A) Vitamins are nutrients required for essential metabolic reactions in the body [1]. Vitamins can act both as catalysts and participants in chemical reactions. ...
Retinol, the dietary form of vitamin A, is a fat-soluble, antioxidant vitamin important in vision and bone growth. ...
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that contributes to the maintenance of normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the bloodstream. ...
Tocopherol, or Vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. ...
Vitamin K denotes a group of 2-methilo-naphthoquinone derivatives. ...
Cobalamin or vitamin B12 is a chemical compound that is also known as cyanocobalamine. ...
Folic acid and folate (the anion form) are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ...
A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ...
Carbohydrates are chemical compounds that contain oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon atoms, and no other elements. ...
Diarrhea or diarrhoea (see spelling differences) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent watery, loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαÏÏοή = leakage; lit. ...
Physician examining a child A physician is a person who practices medicine. ...
The main purpose of the GI tract is the digestion and absorption of major nutrients (fat, carbohydrate, and protein), essential micronutrients (vitamins and trace minerals), water, and electrolytes. Digestion involves both mechanical and enzymatic breakdown of food. Mechanical processes include chewing, gastric churning, and the to-and-fro mixing in the small intestine. Enzymatic hydrolysis is initiated by intraluminal processes requiring gastric, pancreatic, and biliary secretions. The final products of digestion are absorbed through the intestinal epithelial cells. A defect in any one of these processes may produce a state of malabsorption. [edit] Causes
[edit] Coeliac disease or celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals in all age groups after early infancy. ...
H&E section of non-caseating granuloma seen in the colon of a patient with Crohns disease. ...
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is the inability to properly digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. ...
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. ...
Whipples disease is a rare disease caused by the bacteria Thropheryma whipplei. ...
Gastric Bypass (GBP) refers to a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight as fatty tissue, and the resultant health problems (co-morbidities) which occur. ...
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