Fasting breath hydrogen concentration in short bowel syndrome patients with colon incontinuity before and after antibiotic therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Nutrition success in short bowel syndrome (SBS) depends on the intake nutrients and the intestinal absorption capacity. An evaluation of energy expenditure and oxidation of substrate can be obtained with indirect calorimetry by measuring O(2) and CO(2) in the respiration. Elevated colonic fermentation can occur in SBS, producing H(2) and CO(2), which can also be eliminated through respiration and as a consequence affect the results from indirect calorimetry. The objective of this study was to determine the fasting breath H(2) concentration and alterations before and after antibiotic therapy in patients with severe SBS with colon in continuity.

METHODS: The study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, the fasting breath H(2) concentrations were measured in 10 patients with severe SBS with colon incontinuity and a control group of 10 healthy volunteers. In phase 2, the fasting breath H(2) concentrations were re-evaluated after treatment for 7 d with antibiotics in six patients with high rates of H(2). The analyses were performed with a gas chromatograph (microanalyzer DP; Quintron Instruments, Milwaukee, WI, USA), with results of breath hydrogen and methane concentration expressed in parts per million (ppm).

RESULTS: In phase 1, the levels of fasting breath H(2) were higher in the patients with severe SBS with colon incontinuity than in the healthy controls (32.00 +/- 17.77 versus 5.30 +/- 3.31 ppm; P < 0.001), with 7 of 10 patients presenting levels of H(2) above the normal rate (12 ppm). The presence of an ileocecal valve did not modify the results significantly. In phase 2, all six patients treated with antibiotics presented normalization in the levels of fasting breath H(2) (from 43.50 +/- 6.90 ppm to 1.33 +/- 1.03 ppm; P < 0.001) and concomitant improvement in the gastrointestinal symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: In relation to the healthy controls, patients with SBS with colon incontinuity presented higher levels of fasting breath H(2). Antibiotic therapy normalized the levels of fasting breath H(2) and improved the gastrointestinal symptoms. We suggest that the breath H(2) test may be performed routinely in patients with SBS to diagnose elevated intestinal fermentation, prevent errors in the interpretation of the indirect calorimetry, and treat eventual associated gastrointestinal symptoms.