This is used to measure fat content over 72 hours on an 80-100 g fat diet. Fatty stools are usually seen when the stool fat content is 15g or more. A barium meal and follow-through may show increased caliber and thickening of mucosal folds or flocculation and segmentation of barium, depending on the type of barium used. This is discussed in detail under pathogenesis. The symptoms require urgent evaluation and initiation replacement of deficient nutrients, fluid, and electrolytes.
Hospital admission is indicated in complicated cases.
Without treatment, TS runs a relapsing course. It can result in severe malnutrition. Despite success reported in other regions, returnees, and transient tropical residents, antibiotics are not useful in southern Indian patient populations. Generally, give the patient a combination of antibiotics and folic acid for a few months. Patients who have symptoms lasting longer than 6 months may be given the combination for as long as a year.