D-xylose absorption

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Male urinary system

D-xylose level tests

Overview

Risks

Results

D-xylose absorption

Alternative Names:

Xylose tolerance test

What the risks are:

The risks associated with having blood drawn are:

excessive bleeding
fainting or feeling lightheaded
hematoma (blood accumulating under the skin)
infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)
multiple punctures to locate veins

Special considerations:

Multiple tests may be necessary to determine the reason for malabsorption (inadequate absorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract).

A failure to restrict activity may change test results.

Drugs that can affect test results include aspirin, atropine, indomethacin, isocarboxazid, and phenelzine.

Veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.

Review Date: 3/2/2006
Reviewed By: Daniel R. Alexander, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital, Leonardtown, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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