Falaiye J M
Trop Geogr Med. 1976 Sep;28(3):175-80.
The intestinal absorptive capacity for xylose and folic acid has frequently been found to be defective in apparently normal asymptomatic residents of the tropics. This suggests the presence among the natives of the tropics of appreciable, yet asymptomatic jejunal functional incompetence which is not seen in the temperate countries. Further, structural abnormalities in the villi which are non-specific occur in varying degrees of severity in the tropics both in health and in disease. These tropical peculiarities raise obvious doubts as to the diagnostic usefulness of these laboratory tests in the evaluation of disorders of absorption in tropical practice. In this review, experiences from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital had shown that the faecal fat analysis for the detection of steatorrhoea is the most dependable single diagnostic and in studies of overt malabsorption in Niageria.
在热带地区看似正常、无症状的居民中，经常发现肠道对木糖和叶酸的吸收能力存在缺陷。这表明热带地区的当地人中存在明显的、但无症状的空肠功能不全，而在温带国家则未见这种情况。此外，绒毛的结构异常是非特异性的，在热带地区，无论健康还是患病，都存在不同程度的严重程度。这些热带地区的特殊情况，使得人们对这些实验室检查在热带地区实践中评估吸收障碍的诊断价值产生了明显的怀疑。在这篇综述中，拉各斯大学教学医院的经验表明，粪便脂肪分析用于检测脂肪泻是最可靠的单一诊断方法，在尼日利亚对明显吸收不良的研究中也是如此。
