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L S Culank

Publications and source records attributed to L S Culank.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1978

Evaluation of xylose absorption as measured in blood and urine: a one-hour blood xylose screening test in malabsorption.

The assessment of D-xylose absorption by measurement of urinary excretion is subject to several sources of error. An investigation has been made into the use of the blood levels obtained after a 5-g dose as an assessment of malabsorption. We have shown that optimal discrimination between normal and impaired xylose absorption is achieved by measuring blood xylose levels 1 hr after oral administration and then correcting the results to a constant body surface area. The reference range was 0.65 to 1.33 mmoles per liter for values corrected to 1.73m2. In a prospective study of the value of this modification in investigating malabsorption, the incidence of false-negatives and false-positives was found to be 4.8 and 2.2%, respectively. The test is of particular value in the elderly because surface area corrected 1-hr blood xylose levels are independent of age, eliminating the expected and observed declines in renal function and urinary xylose excretion in this age group.

False Negative Reactions↗
PubMed1978

The ageing gut: a study of intestinal absorption in relation to nutrition in the elderly.

This study was designed to assess the functional efficiency of the ageing small intestine and the possible role of malabsorption in old people with nutritional deficiencies. Fifty subjects aged 65 to 92 years were studied, of whom 33 presented with anaemia, chronic diarrhoea or bone pains, and 17 were apparently healthy 'controls' with no relevant symptoms. Tests of intestinal function included blood xylose and iron absorption curves, a double isotope Schilling test, faecal fat, urinary indican and small bowel radiology, with duodenal aspiration and jejunal biopsy in some cases. On the basis either of steatorrhoea or at least two other abnormal parameters of absorption, there were 15 cases of malabsorption. Thirteen of these had symptoms but two were 'controls'. Four of these had duodenal diverticulosis, two had the post-gastrectomy syndrome, and one had calcific pancreatitis. Malabsorption in the remaining eight cases was not fully explained. The age range of this last group was 72--86 years; one of them had a contaminated small bowel and two showed some evidence of pancreatic insufficiency. Malabsorption emerged as a significant cause of low levels of serum iron, haemoglobin and calcium. The blood xylose test is a useful screening procedure for intestinal malabsorption in old age, but full evaluation calls for investigation of pancreatic function.

Aged↗