Patients with functional bowel disorder have disaccharidase deficiency: A single-center study from Russia

BACKGROUND Functional bowel disorder (FBD) may be caused by a decrease in disaccharidase activity. Thus, the timely diagnosis of disaccharidase deficiency could lead to a better prognosis in patients with this condition. AIM To determine the potential value of intestinal disaccharidases glucoamylase, maltase, sucrase, and lactase in understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of FBD. METHODS A total of 82 FBD patients were examined. According to the Rome IV criteria (2016), 23 patients had diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), 33 had functional diarrhea, 10 had constipation-predominant IBS, 4 had functional constipation, and 12 had mixed IBS. The Dahlqvist method was used to measure disaccharidase activity in the brush-border membrane of mature enterocytes of the small intestine, in duodenal biopsies obtained during esophagogastroduodenoscopy. RESULTS Lactase deficiency was detected in 86.5% of patients, maltase deficiency in 48.7%, sucrase deficiency in 50%, and glucoamylase deficiency in 84.1%. The activities of all enzymes were reduced in 31.7% of patients, and carbohydrase deficiency was detected in 63.5% of patients. The low activity of enzymes involved in membrane digestion in the small intestine was found in 95.2% of patients. CONCLUSION In 78 of the 82 patients with FBD, gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with disaccharidase deficiency.

Automated summary

This study found that in 78 out of 82 patients with FBD, gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with disaccharidase deficiency.