title: Fecal Fat Analyses in Chronic Pancreatitis Importance of Fat Ingestion before Stool Collection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Quantitative determination of fecal fat still is the gold standard for measuring malabsorption. We evaluated the importance of standardized food intake before and under the collection of feces.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a project, evaluating patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis (CP) and healthy volunteers (HC), stools were collected for 72 hours coupled to registration of nutritional intake over five consecutive days. Patient groups were created by a modified Layer score, which includes imaging findings, clinical parameters and pancreas function testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found 12 patients with CP, 11 patients without CP and 13 healthy individuals in our database. Median fecal fat in CP patients was 12 g/day, in non-CP patients 5 g/day and in healthy controls 5 g/day. Median fat absorption coefficient was 81% in those with chronic pancreatitis, 92% in those without CP and 92% in healthy controls. Corresponding median fat intake was 65 g/day, 68 g/day and 81 g/day in the respective groups. Spearman Rank Order Correlation between fecal fat (g/d) and fat absorption coefficient in all study subjects (n = 36) was good (-0.88 (p<0.001)). When we stratified groups according to fat intake, correlation between fecal fat and fat absorption was also good (-0.86 to -0.95).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the diagnoses of fat malabsorption, calculating the ratio of fat absorption did not give additional information compared to fecal fat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Voss Hospital, Haukeland University Hospital, Voss, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Friedemann
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1602-3816
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Erchinger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Trond
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Engjom
authors.affiliation: Hospital Pharmacy Enterprises, South Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Palwasha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jurmy
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|Department for Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Erling
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tjora
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.|National Centre for Ultrasound in Gastroenterology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Odd Helge
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Gilja
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dimcevski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005223:Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D008286:Malabsorption Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D005223:Fats