The role of disaccharidases in the digestion - diagnosis and significance of their deficiency in children and adults.

Disaccharidases are a group of enzymes of the small intestinal brush border, that are essential for degradation of disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose, isomaltose, trehalose) into monosaccharides, which are then absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Their deficiency may occur at any stage of human life and have a genetic basis or be a secondary to ongoing gastrointestinal disease. Disaccharidase deficiencies cause disorders of digestion and absorption leading to occurrence of clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, flatulence, diarrhea. For more than fifty years disaccharidase activity (DA) measurements in the small intestine biopsy samples are still considered the "gold standard" in the diagnostics for disaccharide deficiency. The aim of this review was to emphasize the role of disaccharidases in the digestion. Moreover, the significance of their deficiency in children and adults based on the current knowledge was described. It was showed that deficiency or inactivity of disaccharidases may lead to gastrointestinal intolerance symptoms. Early diagnostics allows the initiation of appropriate treatment, which contribute to reduction or complete resolution of clinical symptoms.