Tropical sprue: two cases report and review of literature. Has anything changed in the past 40 years?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Tropical sprue is an acquired condition seldom reported in travelers from tropical countries including Thailand. Only one case report from Thailand was reported in 1969. CASE REPORT The authors report two cases of American residents living in Thailand and Vietnam who had been suffering from chronic diarrhea, weight loss, being easily fatigued and nutritional deficiency and who dramatically responded after treatment for tropical sprue. However a relapsed episode was seen in one case and somewhat permanent damage was detected in another case. CONCLUSION: Tropical sprue is currently which a rare condition for which the diagnosis is obtained by clinical presentation, laboratory tests which show evidence of mal-absorption, endoscopic findings and clinical response to antimicrobial treatment.