Tropical Sprue Presenting with Dementia

Abstract

Celiac and Tropical Sprue are malabsorptive diseases with similar clinical manifestations and histological findings. While, Celiac sprue is a known cause of malabsorption in the Western world, Tropical sprue is relatively uncommon and often overlooked by the medical community. Misdiagnosis can result in delay of adequate treatment in a patient with Tropical Sprue. We present a patient with a Tropical Sprue, who initially diagnosed with an iron-deficient anemia and dementia. This case aims to increase the awareness of gastroenterologists, who are likely to encounter patients from different parts of the world, due to todays' globalization.