Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a disease in which tissue eosinophilia occurs in a segment of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and is associated with GI symptoms ( Fig. 70.1 ). Although first described in 1937, with frequent case reports corroborating the syndrome,…
The terms food allergy and food hypersensitivity are synonymous. Food “allergy” is distinguished from food “intolerance” in that it includes a true allergic, immunologic response ( Fig. 69.1 ). Food intolerances are not immunologic responses. Allergic responses may be acute…
Short bowel syndrome (SBS) usually occurs when less than 200 cm of small intestine remains after intestinal surgery. Normally the bowel measures 450 to 500 cm (18–20 ft). When an insult occurs to the bowel resulting in surgical removal of major parts,…
The small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) syndrome may be caused by a disturbance in gastrointestinal (GI) motility, by an alteration in the anatomy of the intestine, or less likely, by a loss of gastric acid secretion. The disturbance usually causes…
Whipple disease is a systemic, infectious disease that primarily affects the small intestine and its lymphatic drainage, although it also has many extraintestinal manifestations, comparable to classic celiac disease ( Fig. 66.1 ). George Whipple first described the clinical syndrome…
Any disease that affects nutrient digestion or small bowel function or that compromises bowel circulation or motility may result in a malabsorption syndrome, which includes systemic vascular, infectious, and neoplastic diseases ( Fig. 65.1 ). This chapter and others in…
Since the time of Hippocrates, the term diarrhea has been used to designate abnormally frequent passage of loose stools. However, it is a subjective symptom. Patients describe any increased frequency or fluidity to mean diarrhea. It is generally accepted that…
Lactose intolerance occurs when there is a deficiency of lactase in the brush border of the small intestine. When a person with lactase deficiency ingests lactose, the poorly digested lactose is fermented in the small and large intestines, resulting in…
The rapid development of imaging and histopathologic techniques, in conjunction with an altered pattern of disease and treatments late in the 20th century, has changed the “standard” of testing for small bowel function and anatomy. Testing has now become a…
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of a group of functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders characterized by abdominal discomfort or pain and frequently associated with a change in bowel movements ( Fig. 61.1 ). Worldwide, IBS is the most frequent symptom…