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At 07:09 PM 10/1/95 -0400, Karen Ryno <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
> Later I heard about 'Tropical Sprue' and that it has the same symptoms as CS
>but is treatable with high doses of antibiotics.  There is some information
>on the subject but not much.  It is typically reported in those that spend
>long periods of time in tropical areas.  Anybody have any info on this?
 
The following is excerpted from The Stein and Day International Medical
Encylcopedia 1971, originally published in England under the title: Pears
Medical Encyclopedia, Illustrated.
 
Sprue: a tropical disease in which there is deficient absorption of food,
particularly of fat. It is not seen in Africa.
 
Cause: the causes are complicated and not fully understood; circumstances
have variously suggested that the disease may be caused by a virus
infection or by factors in the diet.
 
Symptoms: diarrhea with pale large stools, a sore tongue, loss of appetite
and loss of weight. If the disease progresses unchecked the patient may
develop ostemalacia (softness of the bones), peripheral neuritis, edematous
swelling of the extremities, and megaloblastic anemia.
 
Treatment: the administration of folic acid and cyanocobalamin; if the
diarrhea continues, then a course of tetracycline can with advantage be
given. Anemia is corrected if necessary by intravenous transfusions, and
iron can be used if there is any sign of iron-deficiency anemia in addition
to the megaloblastic anemia.
 
Tropical sprue must be distinguished from gluten sensitivity. See Celiac
Disease.