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Short Bowel Syndrome

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Reviewed/Revised Jul 2022 | Modified Sep 2022
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Your bowels are your intestines. You have a large intestine and a small intestine. Your small intestine is where food is absorbed.

Malabsorption Overview of Malabsorption Food you eat has to be digested before it can go into your body. Digestion breaks food down into its separate parts: Proteins Fats Carbohydrates Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are nutrients... read more is when you have trouble absorbing the nutrients in your food. Nutrients are things that provide nutrition to your body. They include protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

What is short bowel syndrome?

Short bowel syndrome is a problem you get if you've had surgery that removed a lot of your small intestine.

  • If you don't have enough small intestine, you can't absorb enough nutrients

  • You'll lose weight and be malnourished

  • You'll also have gas and diarrhea

  • Adjusting your diet and taking certain medicines can help lessen your diarrhea

  • Some people with a very short small intestine need to be fed through their veins

What causes short bowel syndrome?

What are the symptoms of short bowel syndrome?

Symptoms include:

  • Diarrhea

  • Weight loss

  • Not absorbing enough vitamins and minerals

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause:

How can doctors tell if I have short bowel syndrome?

Doctors diagnose short bowel syndrome based on your symptoms plus the fact that you've had a long piece of your small intestine removed.

How do doctors treat short bowel syndrome?

If you have short bowel syndrome, you'll likely need:

  • Medicines to slow down your diarrhea

  • Smaller, more frequent meals with more protein and fat and less carbohydrates

  • Nutrition supplements, including vitamins, calcium, and magnesium

  • Acid-blocking medicines for your stomach if it starts producing too much acid

If these treatments don't let you tolerate eating, doctors may:

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION
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