Related Experiment Videos
Variance in fasting breath hydrogen concentrations in Guatemalan preschool children
Insights
Fasting breath hydrogen (H2) levels in healthy Guatemalan preschoolers are similar to those in US children. H2 concentration increases with younger age, suggesting potential diagnostic value for pediatric health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Gastroenterology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Breath hydrogen (H2) analysis is an emerging diagnostic tool.
- Fasting H2 levels are being investigated as a standalone indicator.
- Understanding H2 levels in children is crucial for diagnostic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze fasting breath hydrogen (H2) concentrations in healthy preschool children in Guatemala.
- To compare these values with existing data from older children in the United States.
- To investigate the relationship between H2 levels, age, and sex in this population.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 319 fasting breath samples from 90 healthy preschool children (29-72 months).
- Data collected from two institutional settings in Guatemala City.
- Statistical analysis of H2 concentrations, including mean, standard deviation, and geometric mean.
Main Results:
- The overall range of fasting H2 concentration was 0-40 ppm (mean 4.4 ± 5.4 ppm).
- No significant differences were observed between boys and girls.
- H2 levels increased with decreasing chronological age, with higher concentrations in younger children.
Conclusions:
- Fasting breath H2 concentrations in Guatemalan preschoolers are comparable to those reported for older US children.
- Age appears to be a significant factor influencing fasting H2 levels in young children.
- Further research may validate breath H2 as a diagnostic marker in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
The concentration of hydrogen (H2) in expired air after an overnight fast is receiving interest as a diagnostic indicator in itself. We analyzed 319 fasting samples collected from 90 healthy, well-nourished preschool children aged 29-72 months in two institutional settings in Guatemala City. The overall range of fasting H2 concentration was 0-40 ppm, with an arithmetic mean of 4.4 +/- 5.4 ppm (+/- SD) and a geometric mean of 3.2 ppm. No differences between boys and girls was found, but there was a progressive increase in the mean levels and an increase in the number of samples with H2 concentrations greater than 10 ppm with decreasing chronological age. One child with three of six samples having H2 concentrations greater than 40 ppm was found to have intestinal multiple parasitism and hence was excluded from the sample. As compared with a previous report from the United States of fasting breath H2 concentrations in older children, the mean and distribution of values for Guatemalan preschoolers is identical. Intraindividual coefficients of variation in 48 children studied on four occasions had a mean of 62 +/- 31% (range 0-143%).