tropical sprue

noun

: sprue entry 2 sense 1

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tropical sprue

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue

Medical Definition

tropical sprue

noun

: a disease of tropical regions that is of unknown cause and is characterized by fatty diarrhea, malabsorption of nutrients, and weight loss

Though pathologically indistinguishable from nontropical sprue (i.e., gluten-sensitive enteropathy, or celiac disease), tropical sprue … does not respond to the removal of gluten from the diet …

—Edward T. Ryan et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

called also sprue