Edit page | Page history | Printable version

sprue

(Science: gastroenterology) An inherited disease where the intestinal lining is inflamed in response to the ingestion of a protein known as gluten. Gluten is present in many grains including rye, oats, barley and triticale.

symptoms in infants include diarrhoea, slow growth, bloody stools, weight loss, vomiting and clay-coloured stools. Symptoms in adults include abdominal distention, abdominal pain, fatigue, weight loss, bone pain and bone tenderness. Treatment involves the life-long avoidance of gluten.