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Updated: Apr 5, 2026
A Mouse Model for Chronic Pancreatitis via Bile Duct TNBS Infusion
Published on: February 28, 2021
Breath hydrogen and methane are associated with intestinal symptoms in patients with chronic pancreatitis
Dae Bum Kim1, Chang-Nyol Paik1, Hea Jung Sung1
1Department of Internal Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon, South Korea.
Backgrounds:
The bacterial overgrowth might be associated with chronic pancreatitis. This study was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients with chronic pancreatitis.
Methods:
36 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 49 healthy controls undergoing the hydrogen (H2)-methane (CH4) lactulose breath test (LBT) were reviewed. The LBT positivity (+) indicating the presence of SIBO, gas types, bowel symptom questionnaire, laboratory and radiologic results were surveyed. The LBT+ was (1) an increase in the breath H2 (≥20 ppm) or CH4 (≥10 ppm) over the baseline or (2) a baseline H2 (≥20 ppm) or CH4 (≥10 ppm) within 90 min after lactulose load.
Results:
LBT+ was significantly higher in the patients (17/36) than in controls (13/49) (47.2% vs. 26.5%, P < 0.05). During LBT, the H2 levels between 0 and 105 min were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Among LBT+ patients, 11 (64.7%), 1 (5.9%), 5 (29.4%) were in the LBT (H2)+, (CH4)+, (mixed)+ groups, respectively. The LBT+ group had significantly higher scores of flatus than those of the LBT- group. Considering the subtypes of LBT, the LBT (mixed)+ group had higher symptom scores of significance or tendency in hard stool, strain, urgency, and flatus than LBT- group The laboratory and radiologic features were not significantly different between LBT+ and LBT- groups.
Conclusions:
SIBO is common in patients in chronic pancreatitis. Especially, excretions of mixed H2 and CH4 appear to be related with deterioration of intestinal symptoms.
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