Related Experiment Videos
Isolated fructose malabsorption
J K Wales1, R A Primhak, J Rattenbury
1Sheffield Children's Hospital, Department of Paediatrics.
Archives of Disease in Childhood
|February 1, 1990
Insights
Isolated fructose malabsorption can cause infant diarrhea and colic, improving with a fructose-free diet. This condition may also contribute to childhood gastrointestinal issues and adult irritable bowel syndrome.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Gastroenterology
- Human Nutrition
Background:
- Fructose malabsorption is a condition where the small intestine cannot properly absorb fructose.
- It can lead to gastrointestinal distress and is linked to irritable bowel syndrome in adults.
Observation:
- A case study of an infant presenting with diarrhea and colic within the first year of life.
- Symptoms were alleviated by implementing a diet free from fructose.
Findings:
- The patient's symptoms resolved completely after the introduction of a fructose-free diet, confirming isolated fructose malabsorption.
- This suggests fructose malabsorption can manifest early in life.
Implications:
- Highlights the importance of considering fructose malabsorption in infants with unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Suggests a potential, often overlooked, cause for pediatric digestive issues and a contributing factor to adult IBS.
Abstract:
A patient with isolated fructose malabsorption presented with diarrhoea and colic during the first year of life and subsequently responded to a fructose free diet. Fructose malabsorption has been implicated in some cases of irritable bowel syndrome in adults and may also be an infrequently recognised cause of gastrointestinal symptoms in children.