Prevalence and associated factors of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth among systemic sclerosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) results in nutrient malabsorption and malnutrition, thereby increasing the morbidity and mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of SIBO in SSc patients.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2015 and January 2016 in SSc patients over 18, using the glucose H2 /CH4 breath test to evaluate SIBO.

RESULTS: Eighty-nine SSc patients (30 male and 59 female) underwent the glucose H2 /CH4 breath test. The mean age was 54.4. Twelve participants were positive for the glucose H2 /CH4 breath test, yielding a SIBO prevalence of 13.5% (95% CI 7.2-22.4) among SSc patients. A multivariate analysis revealed that duration of disease >5 years was significantly associated with SIBO (adjusted odds ratio 9.38; 95% CI 1.09-80.47).

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of SIBO, using the glucose H2 /CH4 breath test, is not common among Thai SSc patients. However, a positive result was associated with longer duration of disease.