Inability of the gastrointestinal tract to absorb food, drugs or any substance needed to maintain good health; if not countered leads to weight loss and AIDS wasting syndrome
failure of intestines to properly absorb oral medications or nutrients from food
Malabsorption is a problem with absorbing nutrients from the intestines Malabsorption can happen for a variety of reasons including diseases of the bowels that impair absorption Another example is pernicious anemia, a disease of the stomach that results in impairment of vitamin B12 absorption Some vitamins (A, D, E, and K) require bile for absorption In patients with liver diseases that lead to insufficient bile production, absorption of these vitamins is often impaired