Disaccharidase deficiency in children with immunologic deficits

Abstract

Eighteen Caucasian patients with various immunologic deficiencies had gastrointestinal manifestations such as diarrhea, steatorrhea, partial villous atrophy, and lymphoid nodular hyperplasia. The levels of IgA in the saliva and in the duodenal juice correlated well with each other and also reflected the serum levels of IgA. Determinations of the jejunal disaccharidase activity revealed an isolated lactase deficiency with normal villi in 3 of the 18 patients. Seven of the 8 patients with deficiencies of cellular immunity and one with isolated IgA deficiency and normal cellular immunity, were found to have decreased lactase, sucrase, and maltase activity despite the presence of a normal villous pattern and of intact epithelial cells. Eighteen Caucasian patients with various immunologic deficiencies had gastrointestinal manifestations such as diarrhea, steatorrhea, partial villous atrophy, and lymphoid nodular hyperplasia. The levels of IgA in the saliva and in the duodenal juice correlated well with each other and also reflected the serum levels of IgA. Determinations of the jejunal disaccharidase activity revealed an isolated lactase deficiency with normal villi in 3 of the 18 patients. Seven of the 8 patients with deficiencies of cellular immunity and one with isolated IgA deficiency and normal cellular immunity, were found to have decreased lactase, sucrase, and maltase activity despite the presence of a normal villous pattern and of intact epithelial cells.