Workup of the patient with malabsorption

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Steatorrhea is the hallmark of malabsorption. Microscopic examination of stool using Sudan stain is an inexpensive, sensitive, and specific screening test for steatorrhea, and the 72-hour quantitative determination of fecal fat in stool definitively establishes the presence of malabsorption. From this point on, the workup follows the simple sequence outlined by Dr Roberts to determine whether the source of malabsorption is intestinal disease or abnormalities, pancreatic disease, or bacterial overgrowth.