Follow-up of coeliac disease with the novel one-hour 13C-sorbitol breath test versus the H2-sorbitol breath test.

Abstract Background. We recently developed a 13C-sorbitol breath test (13C-SBT) as an alternative to the H2-sorbitol breath test (H2-SBT) for coeliac disease. In this study we compared the diagnostic properties of the H2-SBT and the 13C-SBT in follow-up of coeliac disease. Material and methods. Twenty-seven coeliac patients on a gluten-free diet (GFD) performed the breath tests. All had been tested before treatment in the initial study of the 13C-SBT, in which 39 untreated coeliac patients, 40 patient controls, and 26 healthy volunteers participated. Five gram sorbitol and 100 mg 13C-sorbitol were dissolved in 250 ml tap water and given orally. H2, CH4 and 13CO2 were measured in end-expiratory breath samples every 30 min for 4 h. Increased H2 concentration ≥20 ppm from basal values was used as cut-off for the H2-SBT. Sixty minutes values were used as diagnostic index in the 13C-SBT. Results. 13CO2 levels at 60 min increased in 20/26 treated coeliac patients (77%) after GFD, but were significantly lower th...