CONGENITAL GLUCOSE-GALACTOSE MALABSORPTION IN ARAB CHILDREN

Eight children with chronic diarrhea from glucose-galactose malabsorpt ion from eight different families are presented. Six children are Saud i Arabs and two are of the other Arab nationalities. The mean age of t he children at the time of presentation was 10.6 months. They were fir st seen for chronic watery diarrhea, present since birth, and failure to thrive. Laboratory investigations, including small-bowel biopsy, hi stology, and small-bowel enzyme assay, confirmed the diagnosis of gluc ose-galactose malabsorption. One child had a renal stone at the first visit, and another was discovered to have one on follow-up. All the ch ildren responded clinically to fructose-based formula, and they are th riving at follow-up.