Small bowel bacterial overgrowth and type 1 diabetes

V. Ojetti, D. Pitocco*, E. Scarpellini, F. Zaccardi, F. Scaldaferri, G. Gigante, G. Gasbarrini, G. Ghirlanda*, A. Gasbarrini

Department of Internal Medicine, and *Diabetology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome (Italy)

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• Gastroenterology

BACKGROUND:  Gastrointestinal motility disorders are often present in diabetic patients (pts). Such motility dysfunctions have been attributed to autonomic neuropathy. Impaired intestinal motility is often associated with small-bowel bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) but only few studies evaluated the relationship between autonomic neuropathy and SIBO in diabetic pts.

AIM: To compare the prevalence of SIBO between type 1 diabetic (T1D) pts with and without autonomic neuropathy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 25 pts (13 males, 12 females; mean age 44.2±7) affected by type 1 diabetes with normal cardiovascular autonomic test (group A) and 25 type 1 diabetic pts with abnormal cardiovascular autonomic test (group B) were submitted to hydrogen lactulose breath test.

RESULTS: 2 out of 25 (8%) showed SIBO among group A, while 11 out of 25 (44%) showed SIBO among group B (p Conclusions: Pts with autonomic neuropathy have a significantly higher prevalence of SIBO, that is also associated with a higher daily insulin requirements.

Corresponding Author: Veronica Ojetti, MD; e-mail: veronica.ojetti@tin.it

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