Final answer:
An individual with a deficiency in pepsin production likely suffers from an enzyme-deficiency disorder affecting protein digestion. Pepsin is essential for breaking down proteins in the stomach, and without it, digestion and absorption of nutrients can be severely impaired.
Step-by-step explanation:
Digestive Enzyme Deficiency
An individual who lacks the ability to properly produce the digestive enzyme pepsin is likely experiencing an issue with enzyme-deficiency disorder. Pepsin is crucial for the digestion of proteins in the stomach, operating in a highly acidic environment with an optimal pH of about 1.5. The absence or malfunction of pepsin leads to larger protein molecules not being broken down into smaller peptides, a necessary step for proper digestion and absorption of amino acids into the bloodstream.
Inherited metabolic disorders, such as the lack of production of pepsin, usually stem from the inheritance of two copies of a gene mutation. This type of disorder can lead to a build-up of toxic chemicals or an absence of essential products that the body requires. Although each specific metabolic disorder is rare, the collective incidence of these conditions in newborns is estimated between 1 in 1,000 to 2,500, with higher rates in certain ethnic populations, like Ashkenazi Jews.
Should an individual have a deficiency in pepsin, an essential part of the protein digestion process is compromised. Proteins need to be hydrolyzed into peptides by pepsin in the stomach before they are further broken down into smaller peptides and amino acids by pancreatic enzymes such as trypsin, elastase, and chymotrypsin in the duodenum of the small intestine. The final breakdown of peptides into amino acids, which are easily absorbed into the bloodstream, occurs through the action of various peptidases.