Diagnostic value of sucrose tolerance test in children evaluated by breath hydrogen measurement.

An oral sucrose tolerance test was performed in a group of 103 children, aged between 3 months and 15 years because of episodic diarrhea and/or abdominal pains. Sucrose malabsorption defined as an abnormal increase in expired hydrogen, was found in only 3 children who suffered from congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency. This 1% incidence of sucrose malabsorption was lower than the incidence of lactose malabsorption found in this group (33%). Mean rise in blood glucose during the sucrose test was higher (3.4 +/- 1.4 vs. 2.4 +/- 1.2 mmol/l, p less than 0.0001) and the occurrence of false flat blood glucose curves was lower (3% vs. 12.8%, p less than 0.05) than during the lactose test. These findings are consistent with the higher sucrase activity in the small bowel mucosa compared to lactase. In contrast to the lactose tolerance test, sucrose tolerance test should not be used as a screening procedure for secondary disaccharidase deficiency in children.