National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Microvillus inclusion disease


Other Names:
Davidson disease; Microvillus atrophy, congenital; Congenital familial protracted diarrhea with enterocyte brush-border abnormalities; Davidson disease; Microvillus atrophy, congenital; Congenital familial protracted diarrhea with enterocyte brush-border abnormalities; Intractable diarrhea of infancy; Congenital familial protracted diarrhea; Congenital microvillous atrophy; Davidson's disease; Familial enteropathy, microvillus See More
Categories:
Microvillus inclusion disease is an intestinal disorder characterized by severe, watery diarrhea and an inability of the intestines to absorb nutrients. Symptoms typically develop in the first days (early-onset) or first months (late-onset) of life. Without adequate water and nutrients, children with this condition can become dehydrated, suffer from malnutrition, and fail to grow and develop normally. Management is difficult and relies on total parenteral nutrition. The advent of intestinal transplantation has improved the outlook for these patients. Microvillus inclusion disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.[1][2]
Last updated: 10/5/2011

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

Showing of 15 |
Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abdominal distention
Abdominal bloating
Abdominal swelling
Belly bloating
Bloating
[ more ] 		0003270
Abnormal renal physiology
Abnormal kidney function
Kidney function issue
[ more ] 		0012211
Dehydration 0001944
Diarrhea
Watery stool
0002014
Global developmental delay 0001263
Hypovolemia
Depleted blood volume
0011106
Metabolic acidosis 0001942
Nephrocalcinosis
Too much calcium deposited in kidneys
0000121
Pruritus
Itching
Itchy skin
Skin itching
[ more ] 		0000989
Villous atrophy 0011473
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal recessive inheritance 0000007
Death in infancy
Infantile death
Lethal in infancy
[ more ] 		0001522
Growth delay
Delayed growth
Growth deficiency
Growth failure
Growth retardation
Poor growth
Retarded growth
[ more ] 		0001510
Malnutrition 0004395
Protracted diarrhea 0004385
Showing of 15 |
Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.
While different medications have been tried to control the severe diarrhea associated with this condition, none of them have proven effective.[1] Children with microvillus inclusion disease are totally dependent on parenteral nutrition for nourishment. This, however, is not a long-term solution, as children who rely on this type of nutrition are at increased risk for malnutrition, dehydration, infections and liver complications. A more recent and long-term management option involves intestinal (small bowel) transplantation.[1][2] Children with microvillus inclusion disease should be followed by experienced health care providers in a center which specializes in pediatric gastrointestinal disorders.[2] 
Last updated: 6/26/2012

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
The differential diagnosis includes rare congenital enteropathies such as autoimmune enteropathy, chloride diarrhea, congenital sodium diarrhea, and congenital tufting enteropathy.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Microvillus inclusion disease. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.
  • The Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT) provides access to reports, data, and analyses of research activities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including information on NIH expenditures and the results of NIH-supported research. Although these projects may not conduct studies on humans, you may want to contact the investigators to learn more. To search for studies, enter the disease name in the "Text Search" box. Then click "Submit Query".

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Microvillus inclusion disease. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
  • The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Microvillus inclusion disease. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Selected Full-Text Journal Articles

  • The Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases has published an article with information on this condition. This journal is affiliated with the Orphanet reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know. Submit a new question

  • I have a good friend who has a 15 year-old son. The boy suffers from microvillus inclusion disease. They live in Russia. Local doctors have told her that there is no treatment for that rare disease, but we suppose that Western medicine is more developed and there is a solution. How might this condition be treated? See answer


  1. Microvillus Inclusion Disease. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. December 12, 2010; http://www.chp.edu/CHP/Microvillus. Accessed 10/5/2011.
  2. Ruemmele FM, Schmitz J, Goulet O. Microvillous inclusion disease. Orphanet. June 2006; http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/Disease_Search.php?lng=EN&data_id=2157&Disease_Disease_Search_diseaseGroup=Microvillus-inclusion-disease&Disease_Disease_Search_diseaseType=Pat&Disease(s)/group%20of%20diseases=Microvillus-inclusion-disease&title=M. Accessed 10/5/2011.