Breath hydrogen as a diagnostic method for hypolactasia.
Breath hydrogen (H2), collected by end-expiratory sampling, was measured in twenty-five patients with abdominal symptoms or diarrhoea after ingesting 50 g. of lactose. This was compared with established tests of hypolactasia. Fifteen patients with a blood-glucose rise of more than 20 mg. per 100 ml. had less than 4 parts per million (p.p.m.) rise in breath H2 at 2 hours. In contrast, ten patients with blood-glucose rises of less than 20 mg. per 100 ml. had more than a 20 p.p.m. H2 rise (mean 85.8 p.p.m. plus or minus s.d. 44.3) at 2 hours. Similarly, two patients with normal jejunal lactase activity had no significant H2 production, whereas six patients with hypolactasia had more than a 20 p.p.m. rise in H2. Symptoms related to milk or lactose ingestion were found to be unreliable. End-expiratory sampling of breath H2 would seem to be a simple, non-invasive, and accurate method of diagnosing hypolactasia, which is also very acceptable to patients. This should make it a valuable tool both in diagnostic gastroenterology and in epidemiological surveys.
D001706:Biopsy; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001944:Breath Tests; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000175:diagnosis; D005414:Flatulence / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D007785:Lactose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007789:Lactose Tolerance Test; D013997:Time Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose; D006859:Hydrogen; D007785:Lactose