[Breath test study of sucrose absorption in infants with acute diarrhea ].

Sucrose absorption was studied by the Breath Test method (BTH) in 41 infants presenting with acute diarrhea. In 28, studies were performed in children treated orally with a 40% sucrose solution. Malabsorption was demonstrated in 8 cases. In 36 infants, sucrose loading test (1 g/kg) was carried out between the 3rd and the 7th days of the diarrhea: malabsorption was present in 9 cases. Malabsorption was transitory in all children. The frequency of this sucrose malabsorption during acute diarrhea is not sufficient to prevent the therapeutic use of sucrose solution, but differs from the usual lack of sucrose malabsorption in chronic diarrhea, even, as shown here, in children with complete villous atrophy.