Lipid digestion in cystic fibrosis: comparison of conventional and high-lipase enzyme therapy using the mixed-triglyceride breath test.

Author(s): De Boeck K, Delbeke I, Eggermont E, Veereman-Wauters G, Ghoos Y

Affiliation(s): Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.

Publication date & source: 1998-04, J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr., 26(4):408-11.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Fat maldigestion occurs in most patients with cystic fibrosis. Conventional pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy partially corrects this defect. In this study, the mixed-triglyceride breath test was used to evaluate whether high-lipase enzymes are equivalent to conventional enzymes in improving fat maldigestion in children with cystic fibrosis. METHODS: Fat digestion was studied in 11 patients with a mean age of 10.5 years. The mean intake of conventional enzyme capsules a day was 19. Four 13C mixed-triglyceride tests were performed on separate days and in random order. One test was taken without enzyme substitution, one with three capsules of 8,000 FIP units Creon (pancreatinum, Kali-chemie Pharma, Hannover, Germany) and one with one capsule of 25,000 FIP units. The fourth test was made with 13C octanoic acid to study gastric emptying time. RESULTS: Without enzyme intake, the mean cumulative percentage of 13C dose exhaled after 6 hours was 7.2+/-3.7%. This increased to 14.4+/-4% with intake of conventional pancreatinum and to 14.3+/-5.1% with intake of high-lipase pancreatinum (p = 0.0008 for both; paired t-test). There was no difference between both treatments. Also, the time course of 13C exhalation measured by percentage of 13CO2 exhaled per hour did not differ between enzyme treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The 13C mixed-triglyceride test is noninvasive and documents improved lipid digestion with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. If the lipase dose is kept constant, results obtained with high-lipase preparations are equivalent to those obtained with conventional preparations.