Laboratory tests - malabsorption tests
Maldigestion vs malabsorption
- Maldigestion = failure to break nutrients down (pancreatic, bile salt)
- Malabsorption = failure to take them up across an intact-or-not mucosa
- Tests answer three questions in order:
1. Is there malabsorption? - screening bloods, faecal fat
2. Which nutrient class? - fat, carbohydrate, protein
3. Which compartment? - luminal (pancreas/bile) vs mucosal vs post-mucosal (lymphatic)
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