Fructose Malabsorption in Chilean Children Undergoing Fructose Breath Test at a Tertiary Hospital

Fructose is a highly abundant carbohydrate in western diet and may induce bowel symptoms in children as in adults. The main objective of this study is to describe the frequency of fructose malabsorption (FM) in symptomatic patients ≤18 years undergoing fructose breath test in a single tertiary center between 2013-2018, and to evaluate whether certain symptoms are related to positivity of the test. 183/273 tests (67%) were compatible with FM. The most frequent pre-test symptom in the overall study population was bloating (83%), followed by abdominal pain (73%). Patients with positive test were younger than those with a negative test (median 5 years vs 8 years, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, which included age, gender and symptoms (diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea), only age < 6 y/o (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.64-5.23) and absence of nausea (OR = 3.32, 95% CI 1.56-7.05) were associated with FM.