Jejunal absorption rates of glucose and glycine in post-infective tropical malabsorption

Abstract

In a prospective study jejunal absorption rates of glucose (from a 200 mmol 1 −1 solution) and glycine (from a 100 mmol 1 −1 solution) were measured, using a perfusion technique, in nine patients with clinical evidence of post-infective tropical malabsorption ( TM group) and in 10 others with trivial symptoms who had also visited the tropics ( control group); all were of northern European origin. Seven and one in the two groups, respectively, had Giardia lamblia infections. Mean glucose absorption rate was significantly impaired by TM (P < 0·01); mean rate for glycine was also depressed but not significantly. Presence of G. lamblia did not affect the severity of malabsorption although numbers studied were small.