title: Intestinal-transit and lactose intolerance in chronic alcoholics.
abstract: Intestinal transit time of lactulose and malabsorption of lactose were measured by hydrogen excretion in breath following ingestion of 20 g lactulose or 25 g lactose. Patients were 20 recently drinking, adequately nourished, chronic, male alcoholics. Many (65%) complained of diarrhea while drinking actively. Small bowel transit was significantly shorter in alcoholics with diarrhea (62 +/- 8.6 min) than in normal controls (93 +/- 10.4 min, p less than 0.05). It increased significantly after 8-10 days abstinence, to a value of 101.5 +/- 11 min, not significantly different from normal controls. Following lactulose 75% of alcoholics developed diarrhea after 1-2 days compared with only 15% after 8-10 days of abstinence; 40% had diarrhea after lactose in the initial study, whereas no subjects had diarrhea from the same dose after a period of sobriety. These data suggest that drinking alcoholics have an increased sensitivity to osmotic loads, which is associated with diarrhea, shortened transit time, and lactose intolerance. Abnormalities disappeared 8-10 days following cessation of drinking and normal diet.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001944:Breath Tests; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D004063:Digestion; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000378:metabolism; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000209:etiology*; D007792:Lactulose / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007792:Lactulose; D006859:Hydrogen