Related Experiment Videos
Sucrose malabsorption in children: noninvasive diagnosis by interval breath hydrogen determination
Insights
This study shows that measuring breath hydrogen is an easy, noninvasive way to detect sucrose malabsorption in children. The new nasal prong method is effective for all ages.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Diagnostic Methods
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Sucrose malabsorption is a condition that can affect children's digestive health.
- Accurate and noninvasive diagnostic methods are needed for pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of breath hydrogen excretion measurement for detecting sucrose malabsorption in children.
- To validate a novel nasal prong technique for breath sample collection in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Hydrogen concentration in breath was measured after oral sucrose administration in children with and without sucrose intolerance.
- A new nasal prong technique was used for breath sample collection, suitable for all age groups.
- Breath hydrogen measurements were compared with a validated alveolar air sampling method.
Main Results:
- The novel nasal prong technique showed high correlation (r = 0.94) with the established Haldane-Priestley tube method.
- Breath hydrogen levels were significantly higher in sucrose-intolerant children (114 +/- 63 deltappm) compared to controls (2.4 +/- 3.6 deltappm).
- Optimal differentiation between groups was observed at 90 minutes post-ingestion.
Conclusions:
- Breath hydrogen determination is a validated, simple, and noninvasive method for detecting sucrose malabsorption in children.
- The newly devised nasal prong technique is effective and suitable for breath sample collection across all pediatric age groups.
- This method facilitates the early identification of sucrose intolerance, aiding in timely clinical management.
Abstract:
To assess whether malabsorption of specific sugars is easily detected in a pediatric population by interval measurement of breath hydrogen excretion, hydrogen concentration was determined following administration of oral sucrose to six sucrose-intolerant children with congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency and in 16 sucrose-tolerant control subjects. Breath samples were collected by means of a newly devised nasal prong technique not requiring active patient cooperation and suitable for use in all age groups. Breath hydrogen concentrations obtained by samples collected by this method correlated highly (r = 0.94) with the previously validated modified Haldane-Priestley tube method for sampling alveolar air. Identification of sucrose-intolerant individuals was achieved on the basis of hydrogen excretion: peak values, expressed as parts per million above baseline (deltappm), equalled 114 +/- 63 (mean +/- SD) versus 2.4 +/- 3.6 deltappm in control subjects (P = 0.007). Best discrimination between the groups occurred at 90 minutes postingestion. The findings validate this simple method for collection of expired air and demonstrate that breath hydrogen determination permits the noninvasive detection of sucrose malabsorption in children.