Malabsorption syndrome due to various causes is associated with antroduodenal hypomotility.

BACKGROUND: Patients with celiac disease who present with symptoms of gastrointestinal hypomotility have abnormal antroduodenal manometry. There are no data on antroduodenal manometry in malabsorption syndrome (MAS) due to causes other than celiac disease.

METHODS: Fasting, post-prandial and post-octreotide antroduodenal motility parameters were compared in 18 untreated patients with MAS presenting with chronic diarrhea (tropical sprue 10, small bowel bacterial overgrowth 3, celiac disease 2, common variable immunodeficiency 1, AIDS with isosporidiasis and bacterial overgrowth 1, giardiasis 1) and 8 healthy subjects.

RESULTS: Number of patients with MAS and controls having spontaneous migratory motor complexes (MMC) during fasting was comparable (11/18 vs 7/8; p=ns). Fasting contraction amplitude was weaker in MAS than in controls in the gastric antrum (median 42 [range 17-90] vs 80 [31-120] mmHg; p=0.001), proximal duodenum (50 [18-125] vs 72 [48-107]; p=0.013) and distal duodenum (45 [20-81] vs 76 [51-98]; p=0.001). In the fed state too, contraction amplitudes were weaker in patients with MAS in the antrum (32 [15-110] vs 76 [61-103] mmHg, p=0.002), proximal duodenum (57 [20-177] vs 73 [56-113]; p=0.07) and distal duodenum (45 [24-87] vs 75 [66-97]; p<0.0001). Patients with MAS had lower fasting and post-prandial antral and duodenal motility indices than healthy subjects. Intravenous octreotide induced MMC in all patients and controls.

CONCLUSIONS: MAS due to various causes is associated with antroduodenal hypomotility typical of myopathic disorders.