Unreliability of Breath Methane as a Candidate Indicator of Functional Bowel Disorders.
- Author:
Krzysztof JONDERKO
1
;
Agata GABRIEL-JASNIOK
;
Malgorzata SZYMSZAL
;
Anna KASICKA-JONDERKO
;
Barbara BLONSKA-FAJFROWSKA
Author Information
1. Department of Basic Biomedical Science, School of Pharmacy, Medical University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland. kjonderko@sum.edu.pl
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Breath tests;
Hydrogen;
Lactulose;
Methane;
Reproducibility
- MeSH:
Breath Tests;
Female;
Humans;
Hydrogen;
Lactulose;
Methane;
Water
- From:Gut and Liver
2008;2(3):180-185
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine the reproducibility of methane and hydrogen in exhaled air breath after a per-oral load of lactulose. METHODS: Methane was present in the exhaled breath of 21 of 50 healthy subjects recruited by advertisement. Three methane breath tests were performed in 12 women (aged 23.6+/-0.5 years, mean+/-SEM) after they consumed 10 g of lactulose dissolved in 300 ml of water. Short- and medium-term reproducibilities were assessed by paired examinations taken 3 and 17 days (median) apart, respectively. RESULTS: High values of coefficients of variation for paired examinations (CV(p)) indicated a poor short-term reproducibility of parameters characterizing either the methane or hydrogen excretion in breath air: CV(p) values of the maximum net increments over baseline in methane (max CH4_net), and in hydrogen (max H2_net), were 34% and 41%, respectively. Moreover, the reproducibility consistently deteriorated with increasing time gap between repeat measurements (CV(p): 60% for max CH4_net and 64% for max H2_net). CONCLUSIONS: The low reproducibility of parameters characterizing quantitative methane breath excretion suggests that caution is necessary when judging the clinical usefulness of the methane breath test after a per-oral lactulose load for the purpose of diagnosing and classifying functional bowel disorders.
