Intestinal permeability in leukemic patients prior to chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the intestinal barrier function in leukemia patients before the start of the chemotherapy with an intestinal permeability test using lactulose and mannitol as markers. METHODS The study enrolled 20 patients diagnosed with leukemia (acute and chronic). Ten healthy volunteers were also submitted to the test as a control group. RESULTS The median lactulose/mannitol ratio was 0.019 for the Leukemia Patient Group, whereas in healthy controls the median was 0.009 (p-value=0.244). The median lactulose/mannitol ratio in acute leukemia patients was 0.034 giving a p-value of 0.069 when compared to healthy controls. This same comparison was made between acute myeloid leukemia patients and healthy controls with a p-value of 0.149. There was no significant difference in the intestinal permeability between acute and chronic leukemia patients (p-value=0.098). CONCLUSION The intestinal barrier function measured using the intestinal permeability test was similar in leukemic patients overall and healthy controls, but a tendency toward a different pattern was found in the intestinal barrier function of acute leukemia patients.