Comparison of an increased waist circumference with a positive hydrogen breath test as a clinical predictor of lactose intolerance.
INTRODUCTION
Lactose intolerance is a common disease in pediatrics, and its wrong diagnosis will lead to morbidity. The primary objective of this study was to assess the usefulness of an increased waist circumference during the hydrogen breath test as a predictor of lactose intolerance. The secondary objective was to analyze the impact of body mass index, waist circumference measurement, and age on the abdominal distension of patients with lactose intolerance.


POPULATION AND METHODS
A total of 138 subjects aged 3 to 15 years were included. They underwent serial measurements of the waist circumference and hydrogen levels in the breath every 30 minutes over 3 hours during the hydrogen breath test.


RESULTS
Out of the entire sample, 35 (25.4%) patients had lactose intolerance. An increase of 0.85 cm in waist circumference compared to the baseline waist circumference results in a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 85% to predict lactose intolerance (odds ratio: 42.14, 95% confidence interval: 13.08-135.75, p ≤ 0.001). The body mass index and waist circumference measurement did not affect abdominal distension (p= not significant); however, age modified the time of distension.


CONCLUSIONS
A 0.85 cm increase in waist circumference compared to the baseline waist circumference during the hydrogen breath test is a useful parameter for the diagnosis of lactose intolerance in pediatrics. Variations in relation to body mass index and waist circumference did not affect the usefulness of an increased waist circumference, unlike age.
['Zapata-Castilleja|Carlos A|CA|', 'Montes-Tapia|Fernando F|FF|', 'Treviño-Garza|Consuelo|C|', 'Martínez-Cobos|María C|MC|', 'García-Cantú|Jesús|J|', 'Arenas-Fabbri|Vincenzo|V|', 'de la O-Escamilla|Norma|N|', 'de la O-Cavazos|Manuel|M|']
D000293:Adolescent D001944:Breath Tests D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D005260:Female D006801:Humans D006859:Hydrogen D007787:Lactose Intolerance D008297:Male D011237:Predictive Value of Tests D055105:Waist Circumference
waist circumference lactose intolerance diagnosis child exhaled hydrogen breath