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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Although digestion begins in your mouth, the real work of breaking down and absorbing nutrients takes place in your small intestine, the longest section of your digestive tract. Connecting your stomach and large intestine, your small intestine is where food mixes with digestive juices from your pancreas, liver and gallbladder, and where small nutrient molecules — amino acids from proteins, monosaccharides from carbohydrates and most fats — are absorbed into your bloodstream.
Unlike your large intestine, which has millions of bacteria to help break down indigestible fiber, your small intestine normally contains relatively few microorganisms. Because your small intestine is rich in enzymes, it doesn't need the enzymatic action of bacteria; in fact, stomach acid and secretions from your liver and pancreas actually act as antibacterial agents. What's more, the strong muscular contractions (peristalsis) that propel food through your small intestine prevent bacteria from colonizing there.
But in blind loop syndrome, food can't move through the bypassed section of bowel, and the stagnant food becomes an ideal breeding ground for microorganisms — a condition called bacterial overgrowth syndrome. The bacteria may produce toxins as well as interfere with the absorption of nutrients.
What triggers blind loop syndrome
A blind loop can be an inadvertent consequence of gastric surgery, such as Billroth II or Roux-en-Y procedures for ulcers and gastric bypass surgery for obesity. Operations on the small intestine and structural abnormalities sometimes can cause blind loops as well. And a number of medical conditions can lead to bacterial overgrowth, including Crohn's disease and scleroderma and diabetes, which can slow the rate at which food moves through the intestine.
