What Is Malabsorption Syndrome In Children?
We speak of malabsorption syndrome when the intestinal wall is unable to capture the nutrients of food during digestion. This pathology can cause chronic diarrhea, anemia, malnutrition in children and is associated with other disorders such as Crohn’s disease, the proliferation of intestinal parasites or even celiac disease, but not only.
The malabsorption syndrome can try serious damage. It is essential to treat this condition as quickly as possible to prevent the situation from worsening. It all starts with the appropriate clinical tests.
The clinical picture for evaluating the causes of malabsorption syndrome in children requires information at the level of medical history and surgical interventions. It can be a condition due to an underlying disease related to the intestinal wall, previous manifestations or a much more serious disease. In any case, clinical examinations will be indispensable to analyze the situation and make an adequate diagnosis. In this article, we will look at some guidelines to follow together.
Features of the digestive process
The digestive process is responsible for transforming the nutrients in the food into small particles, which are then released into the blood through the intestinal walls. From there, each cell in the body will receive the elements necessary for its proper functioning.
In cases of malabsorption syndrome in children, these nutrients will eventually be discarded along with the stool. While a transient virus can cause diarrhea and malabsorption, when it comes to the syndrome the problem is very different. In the case of a clinical picture with prolonged diarrhea, it is necessary to take your child to the pediatrician, without wasting time.
Symptoms of malabsorption syndrome in children
The most obvious signs are two:
- severe abdominal pain.
- prolonged and strongly odorous diarrhea.
If malabsorption syndrome is not treated properly, the baby will be prone to infections, fractures and constant weakening of the skin in the medium to long term. Among other things, because the body’s defenses will stop working effectively.
The disease also generates mood swings. It is something understandable, since this constant discomfort produces irritation, apathy, listlessness and sleepiness.
Either way, you will need to insist that severe symptoms do not come from a two or three day situation. The tests must be carried out with the utmost urgency if the situation of abdominal pain and diarrhea continues for a week or ten days.
Diagnosis and therapy of malabsorption syndrome in children
Determining the causes of malabsorption syndrome is usually a lengthy process for both the parents and the baby. In some cases it is even necessary to perform a biopsy, in order to rule out primary diseases of the small intestine.
This will serve to confirm the presence of any intestinal lesions due to bacterial causes, without however being able to completely decipher the triggering causes. In any case, the first thing that the pediatrician will ask you will be the culture of the feces, which will allow him to check the presence of fat in the depositions.
Various types of analysis
Another possible test is the Schilling test – which focuses on vitamin B12 malabsorption – or the breath test. The latter is used to determine if the problem lies in intolerance to milk proteins (lactose).
Diagnostic tests will continue until the causes of malabsorption are established as precisely as possible. The sweat test, for example, determines whether the child has cystic fibrosis, which would lead to a deficiency in a group of enzymes necessary for proper digestion.
In severe cases of malnutrition, the child will be hospitalized in order to perform all the tests, and the corresponding analyzes, more quickly and comfortably. Until the causes are known, a specific diet will be prescribed to the patient. A pediatrician will determine whether or not to stop consuming dairy products and other foods, with the aim of improving the appearance and texture of the depositions.
An effective treatment
When the pediatrician has determined the causes of the malabsorption syndrome, the specific treatment will be elaborated. But what can be the results of medical tests when you suffer from this pathology? The simplest concerns the presence of a bacterial picture in the intestinal walls: a problem that will be treated with antibiotics. In a few days it will be possible to appreciate improvements in the baby.
Another possible cause, and treatment, of this syndrome is related to an “overly” active gut. Faced with this problem, the pediatrician will prescribe drugs that counteract excessive intestinal activity, so that the food has more time to be processed, so that the various nutrients can be absorbed.
In conclusion, malabsorption syndrome can affect children’s health if its causes are not detected in time and appropriate treatment is not provided. For those cases in which the reasons for malabsorption are more difficult to assess, malnutrition must first be avoided by establishing a diet based on foods that are easy to assimilate (rice, white meats, ripe bananas, boiled potatoes…).
