A 35-year-old female presents with chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain for the past six months. She describes her stools as greasy and difficult to flush. She also reports a weight loss of 15 pounds over the same period despite no significant change in her diet or appetite. What could be the potential causes?
This patient's symptoms of greasy, malodorous stools, weight loss, and chronic diarrhea are suggestive of malabsorption, possibly due to conditions like celiac disease or pancreatic insufficiency. Celiac disease can be screened with serologic testing, such as tissue transglutaminase IgA levels, while pancreatic insufficiency might require fecal elastase testing or direct pancreatic function testing.