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Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth Treatment

The small bowel, also known as the small intestine, carries food from the stomach to the large intestine. Both the large and small intestines contain bacteria which aid in the function of digesting food. At times the bacteria in the small intestine will increase and grow more than it should. This is called small bowel bacterial overgrowth.

  1. Causes

    • Disruptions in the small bowel's environment can cause an increase in bacterial growth. Long term antibiotic use, decreased stomach acids and radiation therapy can cause an increase in bacteria. Protective bacteria will keep harmful bacteria at bay but if the protective bacteria is compromised by one of these or other causes then the bad bacteria can grow without restraint. When the condition is left untreated it can cause malnutrition. Symptoms normally related to small bowel bacterial overgrowth include diarrhea, gas, bloating and stomach pain. The symptoms tend to be chronic and on going.

    Diagnosis

    • A culture from the growing bacteria is one way of determining a diagnosis. In order to get the bacteria a long flexible tube is passed through the nose and down the throat into the stomach and then into the small bowel. This procedure is done via x-ray. A hydrogen breath test is another way to determine overgrowth of bacteria. The patient must fast for 12 hours prior to the procedure and when testing starts will the patient fills a balloon with one breath of air and then ingests a small amount of test sugar. Breath samples are then tested for hydrogen and methane every 15 minutes for three to four hours.

    Treatment

    • To restore the normal amount of good bacteria into the small bowel, antibiotic therapy may be used. This type of therapy can improve nutritional health and relieve symptoms. As this condition has no cure, the therapy may be ongoing. With the concern of resistant bacteria occurring with long antibiotic treatments some physicians prefer the use of probiotics. And others prefer using both treatments with antibiotics being used for one to two weeks in the beginning of treatment followed by a long term treatment with probiotics.

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