Lactose Intolerance is Associated with Changing of Intestinal Villi in Thai People

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of lactose intolerance in patients with functional dyspepsia and to document the association of changing in duodenal villi in Thai patients with lactose malabsorption by using breath hydrogen excretion test. Patients and Methods: Functional dyspepsia patients who had no history of milk allergy and underwent gastroduodenoscopy. Two mucosal biopsy specimens were taken from beyond the distal end of the second part of the duodenum. The specimens were carefully orientated and were graded according to the following scheme: group I : finger shaped villi; group II : mixed finger and leaf shaped villi; group III : clubbing or blunting shaped villi. All subjects were tested for lactose malabsorption by breath hydrogen analysis after consuming 50 gram lactose. Breath hydrogen concentration was analyzed in samples collected intermittently by end-expiratory technique. A rise in breath hydrogen concentration of 20 PPM over baseline was considered an evidence of lactose