A review of laboratory tests of intestinal absorption in the tropics

The intestinal absorptive capacity for xylose and folic acid has frequently been found to be defective in apparently normal asymptomatic residents of the tropics. This suggests the presence among the natives of the tropics of appreciable, yet asymptomatic jejunal functional incompetence which is not seen in the temperate countries. Further, structural abnormalities in the villi which are non-specific occur in varying degrees of severity in the tropics both in health and in disease. These tropical peculiarities raise obvious doubts as to the diagnostic usefulness of these laboratory tests in the evaluation of disorders of absorption in tropical practice. In this review, experiences from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital had shown that the faecal fat analysis for the detection of steatorrhoea is the most dependable single diagnostic and in studies of overt malabsorption in Niageria.