Tropical sprue historical perspective

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aravind Kuchkuntla, M.B.B.S [2] Akshun Kalia M.B.B.S.[3]

Overview

The description of tropical sprue like disease was reported for the first time in Belgium. The name tropical sprue was coined by Sir Patrick Manson.

The word “sprue” is derived from a Dutch word “sprouw”. The term was used to describe a condition causing chronic diarrhea and aphthous ulcers in Belgium.
In 1759, William Hillary, an English physician was the first to observe cases of chronic diarrhea in patients living in tropical areas.
In 1880, the term tropical sprue was coined by Scottish physician, Sir Patrick Manson.
In 1960’s, tropical sprue was thought to be the major cause of malabsorption in both adults and children.^[1]
In 1960’s, there was an epidemic of tropical sprue affecting 35,000 people in India.^[2]