Levothyroxine therapy and impaired clearance are the strongest contributors to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: Results of a retrospective cohort study

Table 7 Binary logistic regression for categorised variables

Equation variables	Regression coefficient B	Wald	Significance	Exp (B)	95%CI for Exp (B)
					Lower limit	Upper limit
Impaired acid barrier	0.277	2.780	0.095	1.319	0.953	1.827
Impaired clearance	0.772	14.463	0.0001	2.164	1.454	3.221
Impaired immune response	0.453	5.161	0.0231	1.572	1.064	2.324
Hypothyroidism	1.083	22.514	0.0001	2.953	1.888	4.620

¹Statistically significant with P value < 0.05 in binary logistic regression. Regression analysis for categorised variables: CI: Confidence Interval. Exp (B): Exponent B. A simplified model, which included a leading factor of each pathophysiological pathway, revealed that, in ascending order, impaired immune response, impaired intestinal clearance and hypothyroidism are the key pathways for the development of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.