Faecal triglycerides and fatty acids in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic insufficiency and intestinal malabsorption in patients with low fat intakes.

To investigate possible parameters for the differential diagnosis of steatorrhoea in patients with low fat intakes, faecal specimens were analysed from 15 patients with steatorrhoea due to chronic pancreatitis and seven patients with steatorrhoea due to intestinal malabsorption. The fat intakes of the patients ranged from 30.1 to 60 g, less than the average in American and European patients. The group with pancreatic steatorrhoea showed a significantly lower faecal output than the group with intestinal steatorrhoea but the two groups did not differ significantly in their total faecal fat excretion or concentration. The percentage triglycerides and the molecular ratio of triglycerides to fatty acids in the faeces were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the group with pancreatic steatorrhoea than in those with intestinal steatorrhoea. The molecular percentage ratio of triglycerides to fatty acids was 6.8 +/- 2.2 for the chronic pancreatitis group and 2.4 +/- 1.0 for the intestinal malabsorption group; while the respective faecal hydroxy fatty acid contents were 3.1 +/- 3.6% and 10.1 +/- 3.3% (means +/- SDs). These latter two parameters appeared to be the most valuable for distinguishing the two forms of steatorrhoea.