The D-xylose absorption exam is carried out to assist diagnose disorders that keep the small bowel from absorbing specific nutrients in food.
D-xylose is absorbed very easily by the large and small bowels. If issues with absorption develop, D-xylose is not taken in by the large and small bowels, and its amount in the bloodstream and urine is lowered.
Why the D-Xylose Absorption Test is Carried Out
A test for D-xylose is performed to check to determine if Malabsorption Syndrome is inducing the symptoms. Malabsorption syndrome involves long-term diarrhea, unwanted weight loss, and fatigue. An individual with malabsorption syndrome is unable to absorb vitamins, nutrients, and minerals from the intestinal tract into the blood.
A test for D-xylose is also performed to discover the cause of a baby's failure to increase weight, particularly if the baby appears to be consuming enough food.
How to Prepare for a D-xylose Test
For twenty-four hours prior to a D-xylose test, don't eat food products high in pentose, a sugar much like D-xylose. These food products are contained in fruits, jellies, jams, and pastry dough.
Drugs like aspirin and indomethacin could intervene with the final results of a D-xylose test. For this reason, your physician will encourage you to temporarily break off these drugs prior to the test.
Don't drink or eat anything but fluids for eight to twelve hours prior to getting this test. Minors younger than nine years old shouldn't drink or eat anything but fluids for four hours prior to the test.
Speak to your physician about any concerns you may have about the need for the exam, its health risks, how it should be performed, or what the final results will indicate.
How a D-xylose Test is Performed
The level of D-xylose in blood and urine preparations is quantified before and after you consume a D-xylose-containing liquid. To start the exam, a vial of your first urine of the morning is sampled and a test tube full of your blood is drawn.
Next, you'll consume a D-xylose preparation. For grownups, a blood sample is generally taken two hours after consuming the liquid. For younger patients, a blood sample will be taken 1 hour after consuming the D-xylose. Additional blood samples could be required five hours after consuming the D-xylose.
The medical person taking a tube-full of your blood is going to:
- Wrap a band around your upper extremities to block the flow of blood. This makes the blood vessels beneath the elastic band larger so it is less troublesome to push a needle into the vein.
- Detoxify the needle puncture site with alcohol solvent.
- Push the needle into the vein. Additional needle pricks might be necessary if the nurse cannot find the vein.
- Attach the tube to the needle in order to fill it with blood.
- Take out the elastic band from your arm once enough blood is accumulated.
- Put a gauze bandaging pad or cotton wool strip on the needle puncture site when the needle is withdrawn from the skin.
- Place pressure on the puncture site and then put a bandage on it.
You'll need to gather all of the urine you make for five hours after drinking the D-xylose sugar solution. Occasionally, urine is sampled for twenty-four hours after consuming the D-xylose.
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References:
Fischbach FT, Dunning MB III, eds. (2004). "Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests." (7). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Pagana KD, Pagana TJ (2006). "Mosby’s Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests" (3). St. Louis: Mosby.
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