Causes of Malabsorption Syndromes

Malabsorption Syndromes

Your small intestine does most of the digesting of the foods you eat. If you have a malabsorption syndrome, your small intestine cannot absorb nutrients from foods.
Causes of malabsorption syndromes include

• Celiac disease
• Lactose intolerance
• Short bowel syndrome, which happens after surgery to remove a large portion of the small intestine
• Whipple disease, a rare bacterial infection
• Genetic diseases
• Certain medicines

Treatment of malabsorption syndromes depends on the cause.