Fructose malabsorption in asymptomatic children and in patients with functional chronic abdominal pain: a prospective comparative study

Conclusion: Fructose malabsorption is more common in asymptomatic children than in patients with chronic abdominal pain. Better standardized test conditions are necessary to improve accuracy of diagnosis before using this test in clinical practice.What is Known:•Although fructose malabsorption is believed to be related with chronic abdominal pain, high-quality evidence is lacking.•Concerns have raised regarding the use of breath hydrogen test for fructose malabsorption in children with chronic abdominal pain.What is New:•Fructose malabsorption is not more common in children with pain-predominant functional gastrointestinal disorders than in asymptomatic children.•Improvement in symptoms with low-fructose diet may indicate that, although patients with pain-predominant functional gastrointestinal disorders did not have a higher percentage of malabsorption, they had greater fructose intolerance.

Source: European Journal of Pediatrics - July 18, 2019 Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research