THE GASTROINTESTINAL ABSORPTION OF PENICILLIN V IN CHILDREN WITH SUSPECTED COELIAC DISEASE

. The gastrointestinal absorption of penicillin V (pc-V) was investigated in 6 children, 6–12 months old, with suspected coeliac disease. The diagnosis was set after small bowel biopsy and absorption tests of vitamin A and d-xylose. As control groups served 7 children with diarrhoea but with normal small bowel biopsy and/or absorption tests and a group of 9 children with upper respiratory tract infection of the same ages as the children in the test group. The absorption of calcium pc-V in oil suspension (Penicals®) was impaired in the patients with suspected coeliac disease compared to that of the control groups. There was no significantly different absorption of pc-V between the control children with diarrhoea and those with upper respiratory tract infection. After 6–8 months of gluten free diet in the children with suspected coeliac disease their absorptive ability of oral calcium pc-V in suspension form was equal with that of a control group.