Video Lecture ARCHIVED: NOT AVAILABLE FOR CREDIT

Malabsorption: The Laboratory’s Contribution to the Unsettled Gut

The inability to breakdown and/or absorb ingested nutrients can be due to a number of underlying reasons, which produce a constellation of non-specific symptoms. Laboratory testing can help identify the etiology of suspected malabsorption. Testing is as diverse as the causes. Using a case report from the literature, this presentation provides examples of lab tests that can be used to complement a clinical investigation of suspected malabsorption.

Originally presented November 21, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lecture Presenter

Vilte Barakauskas, PhD Vilte Barakauskas, PhD
Clinical Chemistry Fellow, University of Utah School of Medicine

Dr. Barakauskas completed her graduate studies in neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She recently began her second year in the Clinical Chemistry fellowship program at the University of Utah. Her research and academic interests include method development and optimization, clinical applications of mass spectrometry and topics related to teaching and education.

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

  • Recall the anatomic location and physiological processes of digestive organs
  • List several causes of malabsorption
  • Suggest appropriate laboratory tests to aid in the evaluation of suspected malabsorption

Sponsored by:

University of Utah School of Medicine and ARUP Laboratories