title: Small bowel bacterial overgrowth and type 1 diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastrointestinal motility disorders are often present in diabetic patients (pts). Such motility dysfunctions have been attributed to autonomic neuropathy. Impaired intestinal motility is often associated with small-bowel bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) but only few studies evaluated the relationship between autonomic neuropathy and SIBO in diabetic pts.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the prevalence of SIBO between type 1 diabetic (T1D) pts with and without autonomic neuropathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  25 pts (13 males, 12 females; mean age 44.2+/-7) affected by type 1 diabetes with normal cardiovascular autonomic test (group A) and 25 type 1 diabetic pts with abnormal cardiovascular autonomic test (group B) were submitted to hydrogen lactulose breath test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  2 out of 25 (8%) showed SIBO among group A, while 11 out of 25 (44%) showed SIBO among group B (p<0.01). Interestingly, among group B, the daily insulin requirements was significantly higher in SIBO-positive pts compared to SIBO-negative: 0.66+/-0.3 vs. 0.59+/-0.1 UI/kg (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pts with autonomic neuropathy have a significantly higher prevalence of SIBO, that is also associated with a higher daily insulin requirements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. veronica.ojetti@tin.it
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ojetti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pitocco
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scarpellini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zaccardi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scaldaferri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gigante
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gasbarrini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghirlanda
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gasbarrini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged