[Alkaline phosphatase in the intestinal mucosa of children with the malabsorption syndrome].

110 children suffering from malabsorption underwent several biopsies of the gut to confirm coeliac disease (CD) following the ESPGAN criteria. We studied the values for alkaline phosphatase (AP) in the intestinal mucosa after gluten challenge. In 42 patients the after challenge biopsy was normal, thus excluding coeliac disease. In 68 children the mucosa was severely damaged confirming CD. In all biopsy specimens lactase, invertase, maltase and alkaline phosphatase were measured. We found a good correlation between PA values and severity of mucosal damage, showing that measurement of PA in the mucosa is helpful in assessing the degree of mucosal atrophy in children suffering from malabsorption.