Tropical Spru And Non Tropical Spru

[HAPPY DOG SUZ]

Aloha,

My Nephew went to Kaiser to get a celiac panel blood test done. The Doctor or the lab didn't even know what celiac sprue was!

He has alot of the symptoms of celiac. And I his aunt has it.

Anyway it came back negative but at the bottom it said in the doctors writing,

Test for tropical sprue. This is different than celiac sprue right?

Would celiac show up on this test? Thanks Suzanne

[GEF]

I believe they are one and the same.

Gretchen

[judy04]

Suzanne,

I may be wrong but I think tropical sprue develops if you live in the tropics,

Im not sure of the etiology (origin), maybe parasites. I really don't think it is the same as Celiac or non-tropical Sprue. I'm sure someone on this board

knows the answer.

[3boyzmom]

Tropical Sprue is not the same as Celiac Sprue!

This medical site, Open Original Shared Link, gives a defenition and the diagnosis for it.

Tropical Sprue Diagnosis & Tests

small bowel biopsy showing findings of tropical sprue (including malabsorption or infection)

upper endoscopy and upper GI series may show characteristic findings

CBC showing anemia

stool showing increased fecal fat

CHEM 20 showing low amounts of serum calcium, albumin, serum phosphorus, and serum cholesterol

If they ran blood tests as described above, they were not looking for anti-bodies to gliadin.

He needs to be re-tested for the right thing!

Priscilla

[ms-sillyak-screwed]

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I have been doing research in old newspapers about celiac disease. From what I gather it looks like they called it Celiac in 2-year old babies and children back in the 20s 30s 40s and 50s. Then when they were adults (and as the disease reappeared) they called it Tropical Sprue or NON-Tropical Sprue. Or am I reading it the wrong way? Are they different? The symptoms look the same...

Open Original Shared Link