[Hydrogen test: its diagnostic possibilities in intestinal diseases].

The determination of hydrogen in exhaled air by gas chromatography was used for investigation of patients with relapsing diarrhea of various genesis. An increased H level on an empty stomach, regarded as a sign of bacterial growth in the intestine, was detected in 45% of examines, mainly in celiac disease immunodeficiency, intestinal tuberculosis, diverticulosis, diabetic enteropathy, and erosive duodenitis. An increase in the H level in exhaled air after a lactose tolerance test (50 g of lactose) made it possible to diagnose lactose deficiency in 38% of patients with chronic relapsing diarrhea. In the irritable colon syndrome lactose deficiency was detected in 40% of patients.