Problems in anlysis of faecal sugar

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Gastroenterology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Diarrhea in children can be linked to sugar malabsorption.
• Accurate detection of disaccharidase deficiency is crucial for diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and types of sugars in fecal samples of children with diarrhea.
• To evaluate the reliability of different methods for sugar analysis in stool.
• To understand the role of fecal flora in disaccharide metabolism.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 180 fecal samples from 135 children using Clinitest and paper chromatography.
• Comparison of sugar detection methods, including pH screening.
• In vitro studies on fecal flora's ability to split disaccharides.

Main Results:

• 22% of fecal samples showed significant sugar amounts.
• Clinitest and paper chromatography showed good correlation; pH screening was less reliable.
• Disaccharides were always found with their component monosaccharides, indicating rapid bacterial breakdown.

Conclusions:

• Fecal flora rapidly metabolizes disaccharides, making their isolated detection unlikely.
• Absence of disaccharides in stool does not rule out disaccharidase deficiency.
• Acid hydrolysis for suspected sucrase deficiency may be unnecessary.