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. 2021 Jan 27;11(1):2355.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82079-6.

Alterations in the histological features of the intestinal mucosa in malnourished adults of Bangladesh

Md Shabab Hossain  1 , S M Khodeza Nahar Begum  2 , M Masudur Rahman  3 , Ramendra Nath Mazumder  4 , Mashud Parvez  2 , Md Amran Gazi  4 , Md Mehedi Hasan  4 , Shah Mohammad Fahim  4 , Subhasish Das  4 , Mustafa Mahfuz  4 , Shafiqul Alam Sarker  4 , Tahmeed Ahmed  4
Affiliations

Alterations in the histological features of the intestinal mucosa in malnourished adults of Bangladesh

Md Shabab Hossain et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

There is paucity of knowledge on the histological features of the intestinal mucosa in malnourished adults of Bangladesh. The purpose of the study was to explore the histological features of the intestinal mucosa in malnourished adults of Bangladesh and to compare the findings with their well-nourished counterparts. 64 adults (37 malnourished with body mass index, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 and 27 controls with BMI > 18.5 kg/m2) from the Bangladesh Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (BEED) study, who underwent upper-gastrointestinal endoscopy, were selected for this study. With a view to address the association of environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) with malnutrition, upper-gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed and mucosal biopsies from the distal duodenum were studied for histopathology. Villous height, crypt depth, and presence of inflammatory infiltrates in lamina propria were investigated. Bivariate analysis was performed to quantify the relation between malnutrition and the histological features. About 95% adults, irrespective of nutritional status, were diagnosed to have chronic non-specific duodenitis on histopathology. Malnourished adults suffered significantly more from chronic active duodenitis compared to their well-nourished counterparts (p = 0.003). Malnourished adults also had significantly higher frequency of subtotal villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia and marked cellular infiltration in the lamina propria than the healthy controls (p < 0.05).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Operational classification of duodenitis based on pathogenesis and cellular activity. Specific duodenitis Presence of a disease process such as Crohn’s disease, sarcoidosis, etc.; PMN Polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic presentation for assessment of the histological alterations of intestinal mucosa.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Histological images of villous height obtained using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. Representative pictures of—(a) Normal villous architecture (b) Mild villous atrophy (c) Subtotal villous atrophy (d) Total villous atrophy with crypt hyperplasia.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of histological features between malnourished and healthy adults. P-value Significance level. Tests used; Pearson’s Chi-Square test, Fisher’s exact test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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