Mayo Clinic Labs’ new disaccharidase activity panel measures levels of five naturally occurring digestive enzymes to detect deficiencies that affect carbohydrate absorption. The panel, as explained by Mayo Clinic pediatric gastroenterologist Pua Hopson, D.O., in this episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast, is the gold standard for diagnosing disaccharidase deficiencies, which can cause chronic conditions like celiac disease.

“Oftentimes when we see these patients who have had chronic illness and have chronic symptoms going on for such a long time, it’s hard to piece together the history,” says Dr. Hopson. “It can be quite complex to tease out ‘A causes B.’ In doing an endoscopy the addition of this test may be really beneficial if you find a deficiency, and sometimes can provide a lot of clarity for your patients’ symptoms.”

Dr. Hopson explains that in the proper clinical setting, disaccharidase activity testing can increase disaccharidase disorder identification by 10% to 20%. “In these cases, you’ll have a higher chance of detecting abnormalities and overall helping your patients clinically.”

Listen to learn more about how disaccharidase activity testing improves patient outcomes by equipping providers with specific details about patients’ malabsorption disorders to confirm diagnosis and inform treatment choices.

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Testing

DSAC  | Disaccharidase Activity Panel, Tissue

Useful for:

Evaluation of patients who present with signs or symptoms suggestive of disaccharidase disorders. This test is not intended for carrier detection.

Specimen requirements

• Specimen Type: Tissue
• Source: Intestinal biopsy
• Container/Tube: Clean, screw-topped plastic vial
• Specimen Volume: 5 mg
• Collection Instructions: Specimen should not be placed on gauze or filter paper, nor should any saline, support or embedding material be added.

Performance information

• Day(s) and time(s) test performed: Monday through Friday
• Analytic time: 5 to 10 days

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