enteropathic

Enteropathic is an adjective used in medicine to describe diseases or conditions that affect the intestines, particularly the small intestine, or disorders that are linked to intestinal pathology. It is commonly employed to denote enteropathies or conditions with prominent intestinal involvement, and may appear in the names of specific diseases.

Enteropathies can be broadly categorized as primary or secondary. Primary enteropathies include congenital or hereditary disorders of the intestinal mucosa, such as tufting enteropathy and microvillus inclusion disease, which typically present in infancy with chronic diarrhea and poor weight gain. Acquired enteropathies encompass a range of conditions, including gluten-sensitive enteropathy (celiac disease), environmental enteropathy (also called tropical enteropathy), infectious enteritis leading to mucosal damage, and inflammatory bowel disease–related enteropathy. The term can also describe extraintestinal conditions with significant intestinal manifestations, such as enteropathic arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Pathophysiology varies by cause but often involves mucosal damage or dysfunction that leads to diarrhea, malabsorption, and nutritional deficiencies. Histologic findings may include villous atrophy, inflammatory changes, or other mucosal abnormalities depending on the underlying condition.

Diagnosis and management depend on the specific enteropathy. Evaluation typically includes clinical assessment, serologic tests for autoimmune enteropathies, endoscopy with biopsy, and targeted stool studies. Treatment is etiology-driven and may involve dietary changes (for example, a gluten-free diet in celiac disease), nutritional support, and disease-specific therapies such as anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive medications for inflammatory bowel disease–related enteropathy.

See also enteropathy, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and malabsorption.