gastrointestinal disorders
Tropical Sprue
Treatment of Tropical Sprue
Long-termtetracycline Treatment of tropical sprue istetracycline250 mg orally 4 times a day for 1 or 2 months, then 3 times a day for up to 6 months, depending on disease severity and response to treatment.Doxycycline100 mg orally 2 times a day can be used instead oftetracycline. Folate 5 to 10 mg orally once/day should be given for the first month along with vitamin B12 1 mg IM weekly for several weeks. Megaloblastic anemia promptly abates, and the clinical response is dramatic. Other nutritional replacements are given as needed. Relapse may occur in 20% of people. Failure to respond after 4 weeks of therapy suggests another condition. 