Fecal concentrations of lactic acid and short-chain fatty acids in young children hospitalized in an infectious-diagnostic hospital with diarrhea

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the fecal levels of lactic acid and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in children with acute diarrhea and to identify their role in the development of infectious or non-infectious diseases. Materials and methods. The study included 42 children aged 6–24 months with an episode of acute bacterial, rotavirus, symptomatic or functional diarrhea hospitalized in the infectious biosafety unit of the Children’s Hospital. The control group comprised 18 children without symptoms of intestinal disease, matched to the main group for age, sex and stool consistency scored according to the Bristol Stool Scale of 4–6. All the children underwent comprehensive clinical, laboratory, virological examinations and stool cultures. Additionally, fecal calprotectin, reducing substances, lactic acid and short-chain fatty acids were studied. Results. It was found that the lactic acid levels were low in healthy children and often approached the trace concentrations. In children with diarrhea, lactic acid was detected in all fecal samples, and the highest its level was in children with functional (non-infectious) diarrhea. Opposite results were obtained in the study of SCFA. A deficit of SCFA was revealed in patients with diarrhea, but least of all in functional one, in comparison with the control group. The role of microbiome damage and intestinal wall hypoxia was suggested based on the results obtained. Conclusions. The use of lactic acid and SCFA as coprological tests can be helpful in the differential diagnosis of infectious or non-infectious causes of diarrhea in children aged 6–24 months.