A household epidemic of tropical sprue.

Mathan, V. I.; Ignatius, M; Baker, Simon

doi:10.1136/gut.7.5.490

Cited by 26 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The Madras public health service also reported several epidemics with chronic diarrhoea. Of the 40 epidemics of diarrhoea studied during the last 26 years at Vellore, 7 were epidemics of tropical sprue, with patients developing malabsorption very early in the course of the illness and many patients continuing to have diarrhoea for periods longer than a month , 1971MATHAN, V. I. et al, 1966). The epidemiological characteristics of epidemics of tropical sprue were distinctly different from those of epidemics of acute diarrhoea in this population.…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 79%

Tropical sprue in southern India

Mathan

1988

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygi

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Tropical sprue, a primary malabsorption syndrome affecting residents and visitors to several tropical regions, occurs in southern India in endemic and epidemic forms. The stomach, the small intestine and colon are affected and malabsorption results in nutrient deficiency. Enterocyte damage, the primary lesion in southern Indian tropical sprue, is the result of a persistent lesion of the stem cell compartment. This lesion occurs on a background of tropical enteropathy and the available evidence suggests that an immunity conferring agent may be responsible for initiating the damage.

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Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 79%

Tropical sprue in southern India

Mathan

1988

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygi

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“…Associations have been noted between sprue and poor nutrition or spoiled foods (18-20), certain houses (24,25), and even dry wood termites (26). Our study of the acute diarrheal illness at Clark (1) suggested that the water supply might be the most likely source of a causative agent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may well be the case with other epidemics of sprue, for although some of the groups involved (18, 19) had a common food supply, their water source may also have been shared by the group. A waterborne etiology would also help to explain the clustering of cases in certain houses in India and Ceylon (24,25), where presumably the household all used the same water supply.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Gastroenteritis and Malabsorption at an American Military Base in the Philippines

Dean¹,

Jones²

1972

American Journal of Epidemiology

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Dean and G. W. Parker. Seasonal gastroenteritis and malabsorption at an American military base in the Philippines. II. Malabsorption following the acute illness. Am J Epidemiol 95: 128-139, 1972.-In two epidemics of gastroenteritis at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, intestinal malabsorption was documented during the acute illness and for varying periods thereafter. The acute illness subsided in 1-5 days, but in 22% of 234 patients it was followed by prolonged symptoms of fatigue, nausea, abdominal discomfort, loose stools and weight loss. Xylose absorption was frequently abnormal during the first few days of illness, but lactose tolerance, intestinal lactase and sucrase levels, and intestinal morphology usually were normal. After the first week, tests of intestinal function usually were abnormal in patients with persistent symptoms and also, with a lesser frequency, in those who had become asymptomatic after the acute illness. The prolonged illness resembled tropical sprue and appeared to respond to therapy with tetracycline and folic acid. No epidemiologic differences were found between patients who recovered quickly from the acute gastroenteritis and those who had prolonged symptoms except that the latter group was slightly older. A single cause, of unknown nature, apparently produces annual seasonal epidemics with a spectrum of symptoms and signs ranging from acute gastroenteritis to mild tropical sprue. The epidemics at Clark Air Base provide a unique opportunity to study the etiology of tropical sprue and its relationship to acute gastroenteritis.

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“…They note, however, that the Harijan ("untouchable") villagers, who had the worst diet, did not have a notably worse prognosis than the other patients. Household outbreaks have been reported in India as well [14]. Even in well-nourished populations, the attack rate of acute tropical sprue can be surprisingly high.…”

Section: Geographic Distribution and Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A perspective on tropical sprue

Lim

2001

Curr Gastroenterol Rep

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A diagnosis of tropical sprue, an infrequent affliction of inhabitants and travelers in tropical regions, should be considered in patients with a compatible history, malabsorption, and chronic diarrhea. It can occur in either endemic or epidemic form and can be preceded by acute gastroenteritis. The cause of tropical sprue is still unknown, although most data support an infectious etiology. Therapeutic experience is greatest with folic acid and tetracycline. Most patients can be expected to recover with proper nutritional support, although relapses and slow responses occur.

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A household epidemic of tropical sprue.

Cited by 26 publications

References 9 publications

Tropical sprue in southern India

Tropical sprue in southern India

Seasonal Gastroenteritis and Malabsorption at an American Military Base in the Philippines

A perspective on tropical sprue

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