An Overview and Diagnosis of Malabsorbtion Syndromes-Review of Literature

Intestinal malabsorption results from a wide variety of pathogenetic mechanisms which result in impairment of digestion and absorption of the nutrients. Malabsorption syndromes are organised in to three broad categories. One due to maldigestion, second due to mucosal or neural problems, third due to microbial causes. Small intestinal biopsies are needed to establish the definitive diagnosis. In this article, we attempt to review the literature of the etiopathogenetic mechanisms and diagnosis with histopathological confirmation of the most common malabsorption syndromes.