protein losing enteropathy

see also:

• diarrhoea

• protein-losing enteropathy is any condition which causes damage to the gut wall or obstructs lymphatic drainage with resultant loss of plasma proteins into the gut lumen

• generally causes diarrhoea and abdominal pains +/- fevers and if protein loss is severe, hypoalbuminaemia and peripheral_oedema

• cow's milk allergy in children
• inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis
• coeliac disease
• systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• amyloidosis
• conditions causing lymphatic drainage obstruction - neoplasia / cancer / tumours, sarcoidosis, infections
• Ménétrier's disease
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
• Eosinophilic gastroenteritis
• common variable immunodeficiency CVID
• primary intestinal lymphangectasia
• idiopathic ulcerative jejunoileitis

• evidence of protein loss and other causes excluded
• faecal excretion of alpha 1-antitrypsin is a marker of protein losing enteropathy