Levothyroxine therapy and impaired clearance are the strongest contributors to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: Results of a retrospective cohort study

Table 1 Basic characteristics

	SIBO		Non-SIBO		χ2 or Student’s t-test
	n = 175	%	n = 1634	%	P value
Age (yr)	48.7 ± 17.9	-	49.3 ± 18.0	-	0.70
Sex (female)	107	61.1	924	56.5	0.139
Pathological LHBT	102	58.3	212	13.0	< 0.0011
Pathological GHBT	146	83.4	9	0.6	< 0.0011
Diarrhoea	72	41.1	648	39.7	0.380
Constipation	4	2.3	38	2.3	0.616
Weight Loss	39	22.3	313	19.2	0.185
Malabsorption	9	5.1	53	3.2	0.138
Iron Deficiency Anaemia	2	1.1	38	2.3	0.240
Vitamin B12 Anaemia	1	0.6	4	0.2	0.399
Number of drugs used	1.61	-	1.32	-	0.0051
Supplementation of folic acid	3	1.7	22	1.3	0.442
Supplementation of iron	17	9.7	18	1.1	0.0221
Supplementation of vitamin B12	6	3.4	18	1.1	0.0231
Abdominal ultrasound	152	86.9	1508	92.3	0.0221
EGD	120	68.6	1187	72.6	0.146
Colonoscopy	100	57.1	1069	65.4	0.0191
Enteroclysis	45	25.7	357	21.8	0.143
Video capsule endoscopy	7	4.0	19	1.2	0.0091
Enteroscopy	1	0.6	4	0.2	0.399

¹Statistically significant with P value < 0.05 in χ² or Student’s t-test. As expected, the SIBO group showed a pathological hydrogen breath test. Symptoms did not differ significantly. Patients with SIBO took more drugs and were more likely to supplement vitamin B12 or iron. During the hospital stay, patients with SIBO underwent small bowel diagnostic procedures more often, while patients without SIBO were more likely to undergo other diagnostic procedures. SIBO: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth; LHBT: Lactulose Hydrogen Breath Test; GHBT: Glucose Hydrogen Breath Test; EGD: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy.