Focus on acute diarrhoeal disease
Focus on acute diarrhoeal disease作者机构:Gastroenterology Unit S. Orsola-Malpighi HospitalVia Massarenti 9 40138 Bologna Italy
出 版 物:《World Journal of Gastroenterology》 (世界胃肠病学杂志(英文版))
年 卷 期:2009年第15卷第27期
页 面:3341-3348页
核心收录:
学科分类:1002[医学-临床医学] 100201[医学-内科学(含:心血管病、血液病、呼吸系病、消化系病、内分泌与代谢病、肾病、风湿病、传染病)] 10[医学]
主 题:Diarrhoea Secretory diarrhoeas Elderly patients Traveller's diarrhoea Antidiarrhoeal drugs Enkephalinase inhibitor Racecadotril Efficacy Tolerability
摘 要:Diarrhoea is an alteration of normal bowel movement characterized by an increase in the water content, volume, or frequency of stools. Diarrhoea needs to be classified according to the trends over time (acute or chronic) and to the characteristics of the stools (watery, fatty, inflammatory). Secretory diarrhoeas, mostly acute and of viral aetiology in more than 70% of cases, are by far the most important subtype of diarrhoeas in terms of frequency, incidence and mortality (over 2.5 million deaths/year in developing countries). Natural and synthetic opiates such as morphine, codeine, and Ioperamide which react with endogenous opiates (enkephalins, beta-endorphins, dynorphins) mainly act on intestinal motility and slow down transit. An antidiarrhoeal drug developed in recent years, racecadotril, acts as an enkephalinase inhibitor. Clinical studies have shown that it is just as effective as ioperamide in resolving acute diarrhoea but with greater reduction in pain and abdominal distension. Some studies have explored the prevalence of diarrhoea in old age. An epidemiological study carried out in Italy by 133 General Practitioners on 5515 elderly outpatients reported a prevalence of diarrhoea, defined according to the Rome criteria, of 9.1%. Infectious diseases (19%) and drug use (16%) were the most common causes of diarrhoea in old age. Regardless of the cause, the treatment of elderly patients with diarrhoea must include rehydration and nutritional support. Every year, more than 50 million tourists travel from industrialized countries to places where hygiene levels are pool. At least 75% of those travelling for short periods mention health problems, and in particular traveller's diarrhoea.