[Biochemical diagnosis of duodenitis]

The activities of enteropeptidase, alanine aminopeptidase, sucrase, and leucine aminopeptidase were determined in mucosa biopsies taken from three defined places of the duodenum and in duodenal juice. We examined 23 adults with a histological proven normal mucosa and 10 patients suffering from duodenitis grade I. Using multivariate evaluation of all the four enzyme activities of the three mucosa sites, we could differentiate duodenitis from normal mucosa with an efficiency of 88%.