title: [Fructose intolerance in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a case-control study].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently it has been reported that prevalence of fructose intolerance (FI) in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders range between 38% -75%.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of FI in subjects diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 25 subjects (17 women, average age 36 years) with IBS (Rome II) and 25 healthy controls (14 women, mean age 37 years) who underwent a breath test after oral loading with fructose (Gastrolyzer ®, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., UK). The load consisted of 25 grams of fructose dissolved in 250 ml of water (10% solution). Breath test analysis of the particles per million (ppm) of hydrogen exhaled were performed every 15 minutes for 3 hours. The fructose breath test was considered positive when concentrations of hydrogen were higher than at 20 ppm or a raising greater than 5 ppm in 3 consecutive samples was detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to the Rome II criteria, 10 patients (40%) had IBS-C, 9 (36%) had IBS-D and 6 (24%) had IBS-M. Thirteen (52%) of IBS patients had IF, while only 4 (16%) of control subjects (p = 0.01). Patients with IBS and fructose intolerante tend to suffering from diarrhea predominant IBS (p = 0.053).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fructose intolerance may be responsible for gastrointestinal symptoms in at least half of IBS patients, especially in the group of patients with IBS-D.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Fisiología Digestiva y Motilidad Gastrointestinal, Instituto de Investigaciones Medico Biológicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, Ver. México.
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Reyes-Huerta
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de la Cruz-Patiño
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Gutiérrez de Velasco
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zamudio
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Remes-Troche
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005633:Fructose Intolerance / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult