Functional Gastrointestinal Testing: A Critical Review

Functional Gastrointestinal Testing – What, Which, Why, and When?

Gastrointestinal dysbiosis and enhanced intestinal permeability are increasingly being considered important drivers in a wide range of both gastrointestinal and systemic diseases. As more and more research suggests strong links between gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction and a growing list of common diseases, it is vital that we as clinicians are able to accurately assess the GI health of our patients. Functional gastrointestinal laboratory investigations can provide clinically useful data to greatly aid in diagnosis and treatment.

In this 3-part Webinar series, Dr Hawrelak will examine three categories of GI testing – intestinal permeability testing, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) testing, and specialised stool testing. He’ll cover indications for their use, explore the pros and cons of different test options available to clinicians, and provide some insight into test interpretation.

As clinicians, we now have the largest choice we've ever had in the field of specialised stool analysis. We have tests offering culture-based results, tests using 16s rRNA, PCR, and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Which is superior? What types of information do each testing type provide? Is there a time where a PCR-based test would be a better option for a patient than a 16s rRNA-based one? Are some Comprehensive Stool Analyses superior to others? What are the benefits of choosing a test using shotgun metagenomic sequencing? This is the information that will be covered in this series.

Why should we test our patients for intestinal hyperpermeability? And what test should we use? Serum zonulin? Faecal zonulin? Lactulose:mannitol? Which of these is considered the most accurate? This is the information that will be covered in this series.

Is testing for SIBO as simple as just ordering a lactulose breath test? Is lactulose really the most accurate sugar we can choose to use? What about glucose? Or fructose? Are these other sugars useful in the diagnosis of SIBO? How do you define a positive diagnosis? How do you minimise your risk of a false positive interpretation? Of a false negative one? This is the information that will be covered in this series.

This 3-part webinar series will cover all of these topic areas and more!

Class 1: The Ins and Outs of Intestinal Permeability Testing (~ 28 mins)

Class 2: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth - Testing Options and Interpretation (~63 mins)

Class 3: Specialised Stool Analysis - Choosing the Most Appropriate Test for your Patients (~59 mins)