Absorption of glucose and maltose in congenital glucose-galactose malabsorption.

An intestinal perfusion technique has been used to study absorption of glucose from free glucose and the disacchairde maltose in a patient with congenital glucose-galactose malabsorption. Minimal absorption of glucose occurred from high luminal concentrations of either free glucose (100 mmole/liter) or maltose (50 mmole/liter). Glucose diffused into the intestinal lumen during perfusion of a 2 mmole/liter glucose solution. These observations offer no support for nutritionally important glucose absorption in congenital glucose-galactose malabsorption by either passive diffusion or via a "disaccharidase-related" transport system.