Semiquantitative assessment of breath hydrogen testing

Poor reproducibility of breath hydrogen testing: Implications for its application in functional bowel disorders

BACKGROUND

Limited data are available regarding the reproducibility of lactulose and fructose breath testing for clinical application in functional bowel disorders.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of lactulose and fructose breath hydrogen testing and assess symptom response to fructose testing.

METHODS

Results were analysed from 21 patients with functional bowel disorder with lactulose breath tests and 30 with fructose breath tests who completed another test >2 weeks later. Oro-caecal transit time, hydrogen responses, both qualitatively (positive/negative) and quantitatively (area under the curve (AUC) for hydrogen), were compared between tests. In another 36 patients, data scores for overall abdominal symptoms, abdominal pain, bloating, wind, nausea and fatigue were collected during the fructose test and compared to hydrogen responses.

RESULTS

No correlations were found for lactulose AUC (linear regression, p = 0.58) or transit time (Spearman's p = 0.54) between tests. A significant proportion (30%) lost the presence of fructose malabsorption (p < 0.01). Hydrogen AUC for fructose did not correlate between tests, (r = 0.28, p = 0.17) independent of time between testing (p = 0.82). Whilst patients with fructose malabsorption were more likely to report symptoms than those without (56% vs 17%; p = 0.04), changes in symptom severity were not different (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Routine use of lactulose and fructose breath tests in functional bowel disorder patients is not supported due to its poor reproducibility and low predictive value for symptom responses.

Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols: role in irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was previously left poorly treated despite its high prevalence and cost. Over the past decade, significant research has been conducted providing new dietary strategies for IBS management. The 'low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols diet' has shown symptom improvement in 68-76% of patients. Randomized, controlled trials have now proven its efficacy. The diet, low in poorly absorbed and fermentable carbohydrates, uses dietary restriction and re-challenge to determine individual tolerance to various short-chain carbohydrates. However there may be potential detrimental effects of the diet in the long term, due to potential changes to the gastrointestinal microbiota. Appropriate dietary education and management of the diet is imperative. Future research should focus on the relevance of changes to the microbiota and ways to liberalize the dietary restrictions.

Fructose-induced symptoms beyond malabsorption in FGID

The dietary carbohydrate fructose can be incompletely absorbed in the small intestine and is sometimes associated with gastrointestinal symptoms that include motility disturbances and abdominal pain. Fructose malabsorption has been well documented in variable but similar proportions of healthy and populations with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Recent work into the expression of the main intestinal fructose transporter proteins highlight that our understanding of the mechanistic basis for fructose malabsorption and how it differentiates in gastrointestinal patients is incomplete. Until we have further mechanistic insight, restricting dietary fructose intake and other poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates and polyols remains an efficacious approach for managing functional gastrointestinal symptoms.

Significance of hydrogen breath tests in children with suspected carbohydrate malabsorption

BACKGROUND

Hydrogen breath tests are noninvasive procedures frequently applied in the diagnostic workup of functional gastrointestinal disorders. Here, we review hydrogen breath test results and the occurrence of lactose, fructose and sorbitol malabsorption in pediatric patients; and determine the significance of the findings and the outcome of patients with carbohydrate malabsorption.

METHODS

We included 206 children (88 male, 118 female, median age 10.7 years, range 3-18 years) with a total of 449 hydrogen breath tests (lactose, n = 161; fructose, n = 142; sorbitol, n = 146) into a retrospective analysis. Apart from test results, we documented symptoms, the therapeutic consequences of the test, the outcome and the overall satisfaction of the patients and families.

RESULTS

In total, 204 (46%) of all breath tests were positive. Long-term follow-up data could be collected from 118 patients. Of 79 patients (67%) who were put on a diet reduced in lactose, fructose and/or sorbitol, the majority (92%, n = 73) reported the diet to be strict and only 13% (n = 10) had no response to diet. Most families (96%, n = 113) were satisfied by the test and the therapy. There were only 21 tests (5%) with a borderline result because the criteria for a positive result were only partially met.

CONCLUSIONS

Hydrogen breath tests can be helpful in the evaluation of children with gastrointestinal symptoms including functional intestinal disorders. If applied for a variety of carbohydrates but only where indicated, around two-third of all children have positive results. The therapeutic consequences are successfully relieving symptoms in the vast majority of patients.