Functional disorders of the colon.
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Radioisotopes allow accurate quantitation of the pattern and effectiveness of the transit of chyme through the small and large intestines. Abnormalities of small bowel transit can be demonstrated in patients with the irritable bowel syndrome, and patients with chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction due to either a visceral myopathy or neuropathy. In the colon, radioisotopic studies of transit have demonstrated the site of delayed transit in some severely constipated patients. In patients with these disorders of transit, functional studies may influence the choice of medical or surgical therapy although there are few prospective studies which have established their worth in this context. Radioisotope studies can also be utilised to study the effectiveness of delivery of drugs to the small and large bowel, and to study the adequacy of rectal evacuation in patients with a defaecatory disturbance. The low radiation dose and possibility of frequent observations make radioisotope studies valuable for clinical and research studies in functional gastrointestinal disorders.
Diarrhea of colonic origin is fairly common in irritable colon and after long term abuse of laxatives. This form of diarrhea causes difficulties not only in diagnosis but also in treatment. Irritable colon is a functional disorder sometimes involving other segments of the bowel. The term "irritable bowel disease" is thus more appropriate. Extraintestinal symptoms are in addition quite common. Although the diagnosis can be established with great reliability using an index we consider some laboratory tests, recto-sigmoidoscopy and abdominal sonography essential to rule out organic lesions. Therapy comprises (small) psychotherapy, dietary measures and eventually transient medication. Symptoms usually persist but tolerance of the disorder should be improved. Laxative-induced colonic dysfunction results usually from false assumptions about normal defecation. Loss of water and potassium deteriorates the symptomatology leading to a vicious circle. Alterations of neurons in the enteric nervous system of the colon can be the cause but eventually the consequence of chronic intake of laxatives. Hidden abuse of laxatives can cause great diagnostic difficulties. The therapy of choice is weaning which usually is only possible gradually. Cisapride can be a useful adjuvant.
The epidemiology and health-related quality of life associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders are reviewed, with particular emphasis on irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia. The literature supports the significant world-wide prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia and chronic constipation. An increased female prevalence has been demonstrated in most studies in patients with IBS and chronic constipation, but not functional dyspepsia. The female to male ratio appears to be greater in the health care-seeking population than in community populations. However, some differences in the reported general prevalence and gender-related prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders may be due to cultural factors and study methodology. A significant health care burden is associated with IBS, with increased out-patient services, abdominal and pelvic surgeries, and gastrointestinal- and non-gastrointestinal-related physician visits and health care costs. Health-related quality of life is impacted significantly in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as functional dyspepsia and IBS, compared with the general healthy population, as well as patients with other chronic medical conditions, such as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and asthma. Impaired health-related quality of life has been demonstrated, in particular, in patients with moderate to severe disease seen in referral settings. The health-related quality of life appears to improve in treatment responders, or correlates with symptom improvement, with at least some treatment modalities studied in functional gastrointestinal disorders, but further studies are needed. Predictors of health-related quality of life in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders include psychosocial factors, such as early adverse life events, and symptoms related to visceral perception, e.g. pain and chronic stress. The presence of extra-intestinal symptoms appears to have a major if not greater impact on health care visits, excess health care costs and health-related quality of life in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders.
Several features of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) suggest involvement of the emotional limbic system in the brain. Abnormalities which upregulate afferent (sensory) signal intensity anywhere in this system, from the gastrointestinal tract to the brain, could induce hypersensitivity, leading to the pain and discomfort that characterise IBS and other functional disorders. Functional gastrointestinal disorders are likely to be heterogeneous given the complexity of the afferent system, and a number of different perturbations are possible. Intestinal hypersensitivity to pain and discomfort and associated reflex alterations in motility might explain the symptoms of functional bowel diseases.
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Persons with the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have a significantly higher prevalence of globus and migraine-like headache than age-matched control subjects. On the other hand, persons with organic disease of the esophagus or colon may have a reduced prevalence of functional symptoms involving the opposite end of the gastrointestinal tract. The dispersed pattern of symptoms in IBS suggests that some agent, such as a hormone, may be acting systemically.
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OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to identify qualitative or quantitative colonic motor patterns induced postprandially in a pilot study of patients with diarrhea due to functional disease or dysautonomia to identify objective endpoints for future studies. METHODS: In patients with functional diarrhea (n = 5) or dysautonomia (n = 4) in whom GI transit was documented by scintigraphy, we studied colonic motility by combined manometry and barostat measurements for 1 h fasting and 2 h postprandially (1000-kcal meal). Data were compared with those of healthy control subjects. RESULTS: There were no differences in compliance, overall phasic motility of the left colon, fasting tone, or maximal change in postprandial tone in the diarrhea group as compared with the control group. The diarrhea group showed more high amplitude propagated contractions 4.4 +/- 3.6 (SD)/2 h, p < 0.05) compared with the control group (0.7 +/- 1.4/2 h); the mean postprandial tonic response (12 +/- 14%, p < 0.05) and its duration were reduced in the diarrhea group compared with the control group (27 +/- 17%). Two dysautonomic patients showed a paradoxical relaxation of the colon postprandially. CONCLUSION: Reduced duration of increased colonic tone postprandially and increased number of high amplitude propagated contractions seem to be useful objective endpoints for future studies.