Feces for carbohydrates are the norm. When an analysis of feces for carbohydrates is prescribed, indicators of the norm and deviations. When to worry

A simple examination is not always enough for a pediatrician to assess the condition of a newborn child and make a correct diagnosis. Coprogram is a full-fledged study of feces, which makes it possible to see a complete picture of the state of the digestive system, liver and gallbladder.

What is a stool analysis for carbohydrates

In the first year of a baby's life, milk is the only product that the baby's not yet fully formed digestive system is able to digest. According to statistics, more than half of all newborn babies have problems with the assimilation of breast milk or formula.

If you suspect a violation of digestive processes in the still immature intestines of an infant, an analysis of feces for carbohydrates is prescribed. This study shows the amount of carbohydrates in your baby's stool. Monosaccharides are lactose, galactose and glucose. And according to the results of the analysis, the doctor makes a diagnosis and prescribes the appropriate treatment.

What is it needed for

The main indication for the appointment of this type of analysis is lactase deficiency or lactose intolerance. This can be a serious problem, especially for a small organism that needs to grow.

Lactose and lactase are two enzymes closely related to each other. Due to a lack of lactase, which is involved in the breakdown of lactose, breast milk is partially absorbed or not completely absorbed. This is the main cause of lactose intolerance.

Why rent

The sooner the doctor can diagnose lactase deficiency, the sooner the necessary treatment will be prescribed.

Symptoms of a Lactase Deficiency:

Loose stools that are often frothy. The number of bowel movements reaches up to 10 times a day.
Feces have a pungent sour odor.
Gas formation, bloating, colic.
Baby cries during or after feeding.
Your toddler is not gaining or losing weight well.

What is lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance is the lack of absorption of milk sugar by the intestines. It is of two types: primary and secondary.

Primary lactose deficiency is a hereditary disease. Dairy intolerance is transmitted to the child at the genetic level from the mother or father. Doctors can only alleviate the condition of the baby, because this disease cannot be completely cured.
Secondary lactose deficiency is a temporary lactase deficiency that is observed in almost all children in the first year of life. In this case, it is very important to quickly determine the cause and eliminate it.

What is the danger

For an adult, giving up milk will not be a serious problem, unlike a baby. Because his stomach is incapable of digesting anything but milk. An insufficient amount of lactase in a small organism leads to a delay in the development of the child.

Breast milk contains over 400 enzymes and substances. These are proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, trace elements, macronutrients, nucleotides. Lactose is a milk monosaccharide, which, when broken down, produces glucose and galactose. Glucose acts as the main source of energy, and galactose is involved in the development of the central nervous system.

In addition, insufficient absorption of lactose in the intestine leads to a decrease in the level of potassium, magnesium and zinc in the body, because lactose helps the immature intestine to absorb these trace elements. Breast milk is the only source of calcium, protein and glucose for babies.

Causes

The enzyme lactase is to blame for lactose intolerance. More precisely, its absence or insufficient amount, causing pain and gas formation in the child. This enzyme is produced by healthy intestinal microflora: bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. In the first few months of life, the intestinal microflora is just beginning to form, and the amount of lactase is unstable. Therefore, lactose is poorly broken down.

How to get tested

It is not so easy to "get" feces from an infant. What can be difficult to take a fecal sample after a baby has emptied on a diaper or diaper? To avoid getting a false result:

The analysis should be taken without the intervention of an enema.
The use of laxatives is unacceptable. Since the drugs accelerate the digestion process and undigested food debris, undigested fats and carbohydrates can be found in the feces.
The sample must reach the laboratory no later than 4 hours after receipt. After more time, the composition of the stool may change, possibly affecting the composition.
Under no circumstances should a sample be taken for analysis from a cloth or diaper. For a true result, you need a liquid from the stool. And the diaper will absorb this liquid part of the stool, and the analysis may be invalid. The best option is to put the baby on a clean oilcloth and wait. You can also use the potty (if the child is already sitting), but always clean and sterilized. After success, collect the faeces in a plastic jar, which can be purchased at the pharmacy.
The analysis may be invalid if the child has been taking medication before the test. Therefore, three days before collecting feces, you must stop taking medications.
The infant's nutrition should be the same as usual. No addition of new products if complementary foods have not been introduced before.
The required volume of feces is at least a teaspoon. A smaller amount may not be enough to react with the reagents.

Where can I take

Usually, the analysis is taken free of charge in state clinics. But you can also use the services of private clinics. The waiting time for the result is two days.

Analysis and its essence

As stated above, lactose is a milk carbohydrate. It is a monosaccharide. Simple carbohydrates can reduce copper atoms by changing their color. It is this ability that is used to conduct analysis.

The resulting stool sample is sent to a special centrifuge, after adding a small amount of water there. After obtaining a homogeneous mass, add reagents to the container and observe the color change.

If the color of the sample remains unchanged, then this means that the carbohydrates in the stool are 0 percent.
If the color of the mass turns green, then the content of monosaccharides is up to 0.15 percent.
If the color of the mass turns yellow, then the carbohydrate content is up to 0.75 percent.
Red color means the content of monosaccharides up to 2 percent or more.

The downside of this procedure is that the analysis shows the content of other simple carbohydrates, and not just lactose. Monosaccharides also include glucose, lactose, maltose, fructose, sucrose. Plus, the content of other carbohydrates in feces is negligible. In addition, the most common indication for the analysis is lactase deficiency. Other diseases associated with poor absorption of carbohydrates are rare.

Decoding and significance of the analysis for feces

For children under one year old, a good test result is considered from 0 to 0.25 percent. The meaning of the numbers is simply deciphered: there is no lactase deficiency.

Readings above 0.25 percent are already considered abnormal. But up to 0.5 percent of carbohydrates in feces is an insignificant deviation and does not require special treatment. From 0.6 to 1 percent - average.

All results over 1 percent indicate lactose intolerance and require medical intervention.

For minor to moderate results, the infant should be monitored by a doctor. And after a certain period of time, you need to re-pass the analysis for the carbohydrate content, as well as pass the acidity test.

In case of large deviations from the norm, the doctor diagnoses lactose intolerance and prescribes treatment.

If the analysis shows high levels of carbohydrates in the stool, but the child does not have symptoms (he sleeps well, eats, gains weight and there are no signs of anxiety), then there should be no reason for alarm.

Additional analyzes

To confirm the diagnosis of lactase deficiency, you can take another test - a stool acidity test. This study allows you to confirm or deny the results of the analysis for carbohydrates. With lactase deficiency, the acidity of the stool becomes increased. The feces acquire the smell of sour milk. This can be attributed to the symptoms of milk intolerance.

The ph is 5.5 percent or more. With milk intolerance, the level of these indicators falls.

Many babies have digestive problems and breast milk or formula is not fully absorbed. It is very important to get tested on time and determine the cause of pain in the tummy, lumpy, green or mucus-laden stools. Often, the pediatrician issues a referral for the analysis of biomaterial for carbohydrates. What does such a study show, and in what cases is it prescribed?

The analysis is prescribed for problems with the assimilation of breast milk or formula

Why is a biomaterial study prescribed for carbohydrates?

As a rule, the analysis of feces for carbohydrates (or Benedict's test) is designed to identify signs of lactase deficiency in a child of the first year of life. This condition means that the baby's gastrointestinal tract cannot fully assimilate breast milk, the main carbohydrate of which is lactose (milk sugar). This substance is a disaccharide, which is normally broken down in the small intestine into monosaccharides, which are convenient for further assimilation.

To break down lactose in the baby's body, a special enzyme is produced - lactase. With its lack, milk sugar is not broken down, but is deposited in the intestinal lumen. This is fraught with fluid retention, diarrhea, gas and abdominal cramps. Enzyme deficiency is especially critical in infancy, since milk is the main type of food for the baby.

Lactase deficiency can be congenital and acquired. The primary one occurs in a child with violations of intrauterine development, and the secondary - due to dysbiosis, past diseases (rotavirus), giardiasis, enteritis or allergies.

When this pathology is detected, the baby is prescribed enzymes or transferred to a special lactose-free diet.

Preparing a baby for research and rules for collecting feces

Special preparation of the child for the analysis is not required. It is important that the stool collected for analysis is in a sterile container with a tight screw cap. It is best to use a plastic jar with a spoon for this purpose, in which it is convenient to collect liquid stool fragments - such a container can be purchased at the pharmacy (for more details, see the article :). When collecting the analysis, the following nuances should be taken into account:

The biomaterial must be delivered to the laboratory no later than 4 hours after the act of defecation.
It is advisable to collect feces from oilcloth, and not from a disposable diaper or diaper, since this test requires a liquid component of the sample. If the baby uses a pot, the bowl should be pre-washed and scalded with boiling water.
Before collecting feces, the child should be fed according to the usual scheme, then the result will be as accurate as possible. If you overfeed the baby, the test may turn out to be false positive, if you underfeed, or if you give a low-carb mixture, it may be false negative.

Before taking tests, there should be no changes in the baby's nutrition.

In newborns and infants at 2-3 months, the values may exceed the norm, since at this age the secretion of enzymes and digestion are at the stage of formation.
If the results of the analysis show that the percentage of carbohydrates in the stool is up to 0.6 - do not worry. Experts believe that these figures can be conventionally considered the norm.
If the value is from 0.7 to 1.0%, treatment is not prescribed if the child does not have problems with the tummy. Such babies are taken under control, they are recommended to undergo a re-examination. If the result remains within the same range, the pediatrician may prescribe enzymes, such as Lactase Baby.
More than 1% of carbohydrates in feces indicates a high likelihood of lactase deficiency in the baby (for more details in the article:). An indirect confirmation of the diagnosis will be increased acidity of feces if the pH value is lower than 5.5.

For carbohydrates is a laboratory test, quite often prescribed by pediatricians to detect lactase deficiency in infants. Before proceeding with the description of this procedure, you should understand what kind of ailment it is intended to identify.

What's this?

Lactose is a carbohydrate of the disaccharide group contained in milk (including breast milk) and dairy products.

In order for lactose to be fully absorbed by the infant's body, it must be broken down to monosaccharides suitable for absorption by the structures of the small intestine.

The digestive enzyme lactase, synthesized by the body for this very purpose, is responsible for the breakdown of lactose. If lactase is produced in insufficient quantities or not at all, the baby develops lactose deficiency.

As a result, lactose, which remains undigested and not assimilated in the small intestine, is sent to the large intestine, where, becoming an excellent nutrient medium, it provokes the rapid growth of bacteria that live in it, which contribute to the liquefaction of feces and the release of excess gases.

Due to the high acid content in the stool, the absorption capacity of the intestinal walls is impaired. As a result, most of the enzymes and nutrients (represented by vitamins, proteins, macro- and microelements, fats, carbohydrates) contained in breast milk are not absorbed by the baby's body.

Lactase deficiency is often referred to by doctors as the synonymous term "lactose intolerance", meaning that the human body either does not digest or does not tolerate the lactose contained in any dairy products. This phenomenon can also occur in adults, but they - unlike infants - have the opportunity to get rid of this problem by completely avoiding dairy foods.

For infants, breast milk is the only food available to them, therefore, timely detection of lactase deficiency and the appointment of appropriate treatment will help to avoid delays in their physical and mental development.

In order to verify the presence or absence of lactose intolerance in an infant, an analysis of feces for carbohydrate content is performed.

This study, also called the Benedict method, is aimed at identifying reducing sugars in the baby's stool, endowed with the ability to reduce copper (II) hydroxide to copper (I) oxide. These sugars are represented:

glucose;
lactose;
galactose;
maltose.

In the feces of infants, lactose and simple sugars (galactose and glucose), which are products of its breakdown, are most often found. Benedict's method allows you to establish whether the processes of absorption and breakdown of carbohydrates are normal in the body of an infant.

Indications

An indication for exercise on carbohydrates is the presence of certain symptoms in the child that indicate.

They can be presented:

An obvious delay in the physical and mental development of the baby, due to insufficient absorption of nutrients that occurs against the background of enzymopathy (this is the name of the pathology that occurs due to a lack or complete absence of cellular enzymes responsible for digestive processes). In order to detect this pathology in a timely manner, the baby must be weighed regularly, comparing the weight gain with the normal indicators. Too slow an increase in the anthropometric indicators of the child is a cause for alarm.
and on the surface of the skin.
The presence of frequent (eight to ten times a day) watery or foamy stools with a pungent sour odor, quite abundant and containing a significant amount of mucus and undigested lumps of food.
The onset of iron deficiency anemia (pallor of the mucous membranes and skin), caused by impaired intestinal absorption, which is poorly amenable to therapy.
The presence of frequent constipation.
The restless behavior of the baby: feeling hungry, he demands a breast, but as soon as he begins to suck, he immediately throws it and bursts into crying. As a result, the feeding process is greatly delayed, bringing torment to both the baby and his mother.
Severe pain in the tummy of a satiated baby. Pain can be triggered by colic and excessive gas accumulation, under the influence of which the tummy begins to rumble loudly and swell.

The occurrence of the above symptoms is a reason to visit a pediatrician, who will give a referral to analyze feces for carbohydrates.

The study of feces for carbohydrates can also be prescribed for adult patients:

Suffering from chronic pancreatitis - a disease characterized by a deficiency of pancreatic enzymes, as a result of which complex carbohydrates cease to be broken down and absorbed. Once in the large intestine and fermented, they are excreted from the body along with feces. in such patients, it reveals the presence of amilorrhea - an extremely high content of undigested starch in it.
Complaining of sudden weight loss, severe diarrhea, characterized by a pungent odor of feces and food intolerance, since in all these cases, impaired absorption of carbohydrates may be due to insufficient efficiency of parietal digestion, provoked by damage to the mucous membranes of the small intestine.

What does the analysis of feces for carbohydrates show?

The primary task of this analysis is to determine the amount of carbohydrates in the stool of the baby. In addition, this study allows:

determine the acidity level of feces;
estimate the number of leukocytes and C-reactive inflammatory protein;
to reveal the presence of fatty acids during optical microscopy.

Having received the results of the study, the attending physician will certainly compare them with the well-being of the baby. Even the presence of deviations from the norm - against the background of a satisfactory condition of the child and with normal weight gain - is not a reason for prescribing treatment.

In this case, the pediatrician will prefer the tactics of monitoring the baby, be sure to prescribe a repeated analysis of fecal masses for carbohydrates, as well as a test for their acidity.

Training

The reliability of the result, in which the amount of carbohydrates corresponds to its true value, depends on the correct collection of biological material.

Feeding the baby before performing the test should be the same as usual. At this point, you should not introduce any new products into his diet. The same requirement applies to the diet of a mother feeding her baby with her milk. Ignoring this condition can distort the research results.
Emptying your bowels must happen naturally: No laxative or enema.
Various medications can affect the reliability of the result., therefore, three days before the analysis, it is necessary to completely abandon their use.
It is unacceptable to collect feces from the surface of a cloth diaper or diaper, since their liquid part, which is necessary for analysis, will simply be absorbed into their material. To collect feces, you need to put the baby on a sterile oilcloth and, after a bowel movement, very quickly collect a small amount of feces from it.
If the baby already knows how to sit, feces can be collected from the pot.(previously washed with soap and scalded with boiling water).
The most convenient container for transporting feces is a sterile plastic jar., a tight-fitting lid of which is equipped with a spoon designed to collect biomaterial. You can buy it at any pharmacy kiosk.
It is necessary to deliver the collected biomaterial to the laboratory within four hours after defecation. The result of the study becomes known in two days.

The meaning of the norm and decoding

The analysis of feces for carbohydrates, which is affordable and fairly simple, is performed in relation to all infants.

Deciphering the analysis, the pediatrician first of all pays attention to the amount of carbohydrates. This indicator is the main one, since in case of lactase deficiency, the infant's body loses its ability to break them down. Left undigested, carbohydrates are excreted from the baby's body along with feces. In feces of newborns, the carbohydrate content should not exceed 1%. As the child grows, this value should gradually decrease. The indicator of the norm for infants under six months of age is a value equal to 0.5-0.6%. In infants older than six months and up to a year, it should not be higher than 0.25%.
The beneficial microflora of the large intestine has the ability to partially digest lactose. Acetic and lactic acids, formed during its breakdown, significantly increase the acidity of feces. The normal level of acidity in stool should not be less than 5.5. An indicator equal to 5.5 and below is the basis for suspicion of lactase deficiency.
An increased number of leukocytes and C-reactive inflammatory protein in the feces indicates the presence of inflammatory processes in the intestine, the culprit of which may be lactose intolerance.
The presence of a significant amount of fatty acids in feces may be the result of disorders accompanying the process of absorption of nutrients, which are indispensable companions of lactase deficiency.

The basis for diagnosing lactase deficiency is the result of the analysis confirming the high (more than 1%) content of carbohydrates in the feces of the infant, combined with the presence of a detailed clinical picture of pathology. In this case, the child is prescribed a course of appropriate treatment.

The increased acidity of stool - coupled with an increase in the amount of C-reactive inflammatory protein, fatty acids and leukocytes - can be the result of not only lactase deficiency, but also other pathologies that disrupt the functioning of the digestive system.

For carbohydrates, it helps with a high degree of probability to make sure of the presence of lactase deficiency, making it impossible to establish its type and cause.

If there is a suspicion of congenital lactase deficiency, babies are given a genetic test, which consists in finding the genes that are responsible for the extremely low production of lactase.

Most often, lactose intolerance occurs due to (digestive disorders caused by damage to the villi of the small intestine by products containing gluten and proteins of cereals), all kinds of cow's milk protein.

All these pathologies first disrupt the functioning of the small intestine, after which the body loses its ability to break down and absorb milk sugar.

Additional examination

It is impossible to diagnose lactase deficiency on the basis of clinical manifestations alone that are not strictly specific. Therefore, in addition to analyzing fecal masses for carbohydrates, a number of additional studies may be required.

Dealing with the diagnosis of lactase deficiency in adults, the analysis of feces for carbohydrates is supplemented with:

respiratory tests, which measure the amount of hydrogen and methane in the exhaled air. Since it is these gases that are formed during the partial breakdown of lactose by beneficial bacteria living in the intestine;
intestinal mucous membranes.

The above diagnostic methods are used extremely rarely when examining young children.

Since lactose intolerance is characterized by impaired absorption of many nutrients (biologically significant chemical elements necessary for the human body to carry out normal life) by the structures of the small intestine, a general blood test may be prescribed for the baby. A decrease in hemoglobin levels will indicate that the process of iron absorption is impaired in the child's body.

Reasons for deviations

The increased content of carbohydrates in the feces may be the result of not only lactase deficiency, but also disorders accompanying the assimilation of other sugars.
A false positive result can be triggered by taking certain medications (for example, antibiotics and salicylates) and ascorbic acid.
A false negative result may result from feeding (shortly before testing) the baby with a low lactose formula.

Determination of carbohydrates in feces - laboratory study of fecal masses. After decoding the analysis results, the quantitative content in the biological sample of sugars, disaccharides, maltose, poly- and monosaccharides is established. If maltose, lactose and galactose are found in feces, further studies are carried out to establish the cause of the pathological process. Benedict's method allows you to identify the ability of the gastrointestinal tract of an adult and a child to digest and absorb carbohydrates. Laboratory research is most often used to diagnose lactase deficiency in newborns and children in the first year of life.

To determine carbohydrates in feces, the Bernard method is used, based on the reduction of copper ions

How is laboratory research carried out

Laboratory analysis is based on the ability of simple carbohydrates to act as a component or catalyst for various chemical reactions. They reduce copper cations that are part of organic and inorganic compounds. In the course of a chemical reaction, the color of the ingredient changes, which makes it possible to judge the presence of mono- and polysaccharides in biological samples.

After removing the stool from a sterile container, the required amount of distilled water is measured into it. After centrifugation, a chemical reagent is added to the biological sample. By the changed color, one can judge the quantitative content of carbohydrates in the feces:

green - the concentration of carbohydrates exceeds 0.05%;
yellow - the sample contains at least 0.5% sugars;
red - the carbohydrate level is over 2%.

If the mixture of feces and the reagent has retained its original light blue color, then the cause of dyspeptic disorders is not associated with improper breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates.

Warning: “Before conducting a diagnostic study, you should not make adjustments to the diet or adhere to any diet. To obtain reliable test results, it is necessary to deliver a biological sample to the laboratory immediately after emptying the intestines. "

Indications for analysis

Determination of carbohydrates in feces can be an independent diagnostic analysis or carried out in conjunction with other studies, which include:

coprogram;
genetic markers of lactose intolerance;
studies to identify intestinal dysbiosis.

A biochemical study is not carried out for children in the first three months of life. At this age, the processes of digestion are just beginning to form, and the result of the analysis will be of little information.

Determination of carbohydrates in feces is indicated for patients with dyspeptic disorders

Disruption of the gastrointestinal tract

The study is prescribed for pathologies of the small intestine, pancreas. If you suspect that one of the digestive enzymes is absent in the body, the procedure helps to establish its appearance.

The procedure is indicated for adults and young patients with frequent dyspeptic disorders. Determination of carbohydrates in feces makes it possible to establish the cause of painful sensations in the abdomen, impaired peristalsis, and excessive gas formation. The study is prescribed for patients complaining of bloating, nausea and vomiting after each meal. Also, indications for laboratory research include:

chronic diarrhea of unknown origin;
the onset of symptoms of flatulence, especially after eating foods containing a significant amount of sugars and starch;
sudden weight loss;
suspected malabsorption of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates in feces can appear not only for pathological reasons. This condition is often diagnosed in people who eat unbalanced and monotonous.

Warning: “Before the analysis, the laboratory assistant assesses the external characteristics of the feces, notes signs of decay and fermentation. These pathological processes occur in the gastrointestinal tract of the patient when it is impossible to fully decompose the starch. Fecal fermentation occurs in people with partial or complete inability to absorb simple and complex carbohydrates. "

Lactase deficiency

Determination of carbohydrates in feces is necessary for the timely detection of lactase deficiency in young children. Lactose is a disaccharide that is abundant in breast milk. In the process of metabolism, it is broken down into galactose and glucose, and then completely absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. Lactose (milk sugar) is processed by the digestive enzyme lactase. With its lack in the child's body, symptoms of dyspepsia occur:

bloating;
poor weight gain;
painful colic.

Lactase deficiency is most common in premature babies. When diagnosing a pathology, the child is prescribed substitution therapy, and the diet is adjusted.

Determination of carbohydrates in feces is carried out with suspicion of lactase deficiency in infants

Normal values

Carbohydrates should not be found in the feces of children and adults with normal health conditions. Even in the body with a sweet tooth, these organic compounds are broken down, and then the products of their metabolism are absorbed. Carbohydrates begin to be processed immediately in the oral cavity by enzymes contained in human saliva. As food passes through the gastrointestinal tract, they are completely absorbed.

Exceeding the values is allowed only in young children. The norm of carbohydrates in feces in infants varies within 0.001-0.25%. If the baby does not suffer from a lack of appetite and is gaining weight well, then pediatricians do not consider the indicators of 0.5-0.6% to be a deviation. But the excess of this value becomes the reason for further examination of the child for the presence of lactase deficiency.

The analysis of feces for carbohydrates in infants is directly related to lactose intolerance (lactase deficiency). In the first year of a child's life, the digestive system is not fully formed. Hence the emergence of problems with the assimilation of breast milk or an adapted formula. What are the symptoms of coprogram delivery? How to correctly collect material for the analysis of feces for carbohydrates and decipher the results?

Indications for the analysis of feces in infants

The intestines of an infant are immature, and sometimes they are not able to cope with the required digestive processes. A coprogram is engaged in a full study of feces, which helps to assess the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, other organs involved in digestion - the liver, gallbladder. During the analysis of feces, among other things, the content of carbohydrates in it is necessarily revealed.

For a growing baby's body, lactase deficiency (lactose intolerance) is becoming a serious problem. Shown analysis of feces for carbohydrates, if there is a suspicion of inadequate absorption of breast milk, milk formula. Lactase is involved in the breakdown of lactose. Enzymes are closely related. With insufficient production of a digestive enzyme in a child's body, milk is not completely absorbed, which causes lactose intolerance.

The following symptoms indicate lactose deficiency in infants:

a pungent sour smell from feces;
loose stools, sometimes foam is observed;
increased gas formation, bloating;
the presence of frequent bowel movements (the child goes to the toilet up to 10 times a day);
poor weight gain by the baby, there may even be a decrease in body weight;
crying, capriciousness of the child during feeding or immediately after;
instead of diarrhea, the child may suffer from constipation.

Sometimes in the feces you can see undigested food, lumps of mucus, greenish foam. Regurgitation, even vomiting, is possible. The process of digesting milk (formula) for the baby becomes uncomfortable. Even when feeling hungry, the baby takes the breast and, not full, throws it. Feeding is delayed. From a small amount of milk, the baby's belly grows and puffs up. Allergic reactions occur, the skin can become covered with a rash.

Impaired absorption of nutrients by the intestines leads to a lack of iron in the body. The level of hemoglobin in the blood falls. Outwardly, this is expressed in the paleness of the skin and mucous membranes.

Breast milk is the main source of nutrients. From it, the child receives the proteins, calcium, glucose, vitamins, macro- and microelements necessary for life and growth. Lack of lactase provokes the inability of the intestines to fully assimilate and take in the necessary nutrition. When lactose is broken down, galactose and glucose are obtained. The latter is the main source of energy for humans.

Galactose is essential for the full development of the central nervous system. The danger of an insufficient amount of lactase for a child is developmental delay. Therefore, any of the symptoms listed above should be a cause for concern for parents, a mandatory visit to a pediatrician and a reason for taking a stool test for carbohydrates.

How to prepare for a stool carbohydrate test

The result will be as reliable as possible with the correct collection of feces from infants. It is necessary to feed the newborn in the usual mode. Meals should not be changed a few days before taking the material; it should be normal for the child. It is undesirable to introduce new products into the diet.

If the baby is breastfed, this rule fully applies to the mother. Prior to the analysis of feces for carbohydrates for several days, you should not take any medications. They are permissible only if absolutely necessary for the health of the baby.

The material for the analysis of feces for carbohydrates is taken naturally, without enemas or drugs to facilitate bowel movements. To collect feces from a baby who can already sit on a pot, the latter should be washed with baby or laundry soap, scalded with boiling water, and dried. Feces from very young children should be collected from the most sterile oilcloth. Biomaterial scraped from the insides of a disposable diaper, tissue (sheets, diapers) is not suitable for analyzing feces for carbohydrates.

For analysis, feces equal in volume to about one teaspoon is enough. The mass should be collected in a clean container with a lid. It should be tightly closed, preventing air from entering there. It is advisable to purchase a container with a stick for collecting material. These special containers are sold in pharmacies. Their cost is relatively low. Once collected, the box should be delivered to the laboratory within four hours. The countdown begins after the act of defecation.

Deciphering the results of the analysis of feces for carbohydrates

The pediatrician evaluates the result of the analysis of feces for carbohydrates, at the same time comparing the data with the presence of other symptoms, the general state of health, and the well-being of the child. Even if the analysis of feces for carbohydrates shows a slight deviation, but the baby is behaving well and no pathological symptoms have been identified, treatment is not prescribed. This is usually assumed to be a false positive result. Re-delivery of feces for analysis is prescribed.

What is included in decoding the analysis of feces for carbohydrates in infants? The content of carbohydrates in the masses under study, their acidity, the number of fatty acid molecules, leukocytes, and the presence of protein are estimated.

If lactose is poorly tolerated by the body, traces of it will certainly be found in baby feces. A lot of carbohydrates, proteins, white blood cells indicate the presence of inflammation. With a high content of fatty acids, the intestines poorly absorb food. All this is accompanied by poor absorption of lactose in the body. High acidity feces (having a pH of up to 5.5) are often observed when acetic, lactic acid is involved in the breakdown of undigested lactose.

The normal amount of carbohydrates in the feces of an infant is up to 0.25% of the total. The detected elements can be both lactose and galactose, glucose. If it is necessary to clarify the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes additional examinations to prescribe treatment.

Deviations from the normal value

What does the carbohydrate content in the stool mass mean for a healthy baby under one year old?

In infants until the age of three months, the content of carbohydrates in the feces is slightly higher than the norm. It is caused by the formation of the digestive system, food processing, and enzyme secretion. Up to 0.6% carbohydrate content is considered a conditional norm. 0.7 - 1% also do not require therapeutic intervention, in the absence of concomitant symptoms. The health of such babies, their nutrition, the introduction of complementary foods should be kept under the supervision of a pediatrician.

The body consumes a lot of carbohydrates from liquid and sweet foods. Lactase deficiency is diagnosed with more than 1% of the detected inclusions of carbohydrates in the studied masses, provided that they are of increased acidity.