title: Small intestinal transit, absorption, and permeability in patients with AIDS with and without diarrhoea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diarrhoea in AIDS is associated with anorexia and weight loss. The importance of gastrointestinal transit in such symptoms has not been addressed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess jejunal to caecal transit times in subjects with AIDS related diarrhoea and weight loss and correlate these with measures of absorptive capacity and intestinal permeability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Jejunal to caecal transit times were assessed in 20 seronegative controls and 60 HIV seropositive subjects from serum analysis of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose and sulphapyridine after ingestion of the monosaccharide and sulphasalazine in aqueous solution. The method also allows an estimation of gastric emptying times for liquids. Intestinal absorptive capacity and permeability were assessed by a combined test using 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, D-xylose, L-rhamnose, and lactulose.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gastric emptying was significantly delayed in all groups of patients with AIDS. Mean jejunal to caecal transit times were not significantly different between controls (246 (62) minutes) and patients without diarrhoea (AIDS, well: 278 (103) minutes; AIDS, wasting: 236 (68) minutes), cytomegalovirus colitis (289 (83) minutes), pathogen negative diarrhoea (192 (100) minutes), or microsporidiosis (190 (113) minutes), although 30% of patients had values below the control range. Patients with cryptosporidiosis differed significantly from controls (135 (35) minutes, p<0.0001), seven of 10 having rapid transit times. Absorptive capacity was reduced and intestinal permeability significantly increased in AIDS, but did not correlate significantly with transit times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Small bowel transit is accelerated in many patients with AIDS, particularily in protozoal diarrhoea, but is not the sole explanation for malabsorption of monosaccharides.
authors.affiliation: Department of HIV/GUM, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sharpstone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neild
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crane
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hodgson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherwood
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gazzard
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bjarnason
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000503:physiopathology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000328:Adult; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016881:Microsporidiosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010539:Permeability; D015203:Reproducibility of Results