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Gastrointestinal dysfunction and disaccharide intolerance in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Because gastrointestinal dysfunction is a major problem in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, we utilized breath hydrogen measurements to determine the relationship between disaccharide malabsorption and gastrointestinal dysfunction in HIV-infected children. We found a strong association between lactose intolerance and persistent diarrheal disease in this population (p less than 0.007, Mann-Whitney U test). We also found evidence of sucrose malabsorption and persistent diarrheal disease in three of the children. Extensive microbiologic evaluations failed to reveal an etiologic agent related to the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Our findings indicate that disaccharide intolerance is a common occurrence in HIV-infected children with persistent diarrheal disease. Careful attention to dietary intake may be required to ameliorate clinical symptoms and to maintain adequate nutrition.

Breath Tests

[Gastrointestinal dysfunction and peroral nutrition after severe burns].

The patient with severe burns is characterized by a hypermetabolic response, and degree of which is proportional to the magnitude of burns. Major thermal injury is often associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction. Failure to provide adequate caloric intake by both enteral and parenteral routes will results in pronounced weight loss, delayed wound healing, depression of host resistance and cellular dysfunction. We analysed 676 burn patients with TBSA over 50%, and found regular changes in gastrointestinal function with endoscopy and also at autopsy. A new dietary programme is described in the article.

Burns

[Fructose malabsorption and dysfunctional gastrointestinal manifestations].

BACKGROUND: Individuals with impaired intestinal absorption of fructose may exhibit recurrent abdominal discomfort after the ingestion of fructose-containing foods. We report on patients with this disorder in whom the diagnosis was made by the fructose hydrogen breath test. METHODS: We investigated 293 patients with recurrent abdominal pain, meteorism or diarrhea in connection with the ingestion of fruits, apple juice or soft drinks. Mixed expired air was collected before and at 30 minute intervals after a fructose load and analysed thereafter by a hydrogen sensitive electrochemical cell. Incomplete absorption of fructose was defined as a peak rise in breath hydrogen of > 20 ppm. RESULTS: 108 out of 293 patients showed an abnormal peak rise after fructose (mean 71.8 ppm, SD 31.4). This malabsorption of fructose was associated with clinical symptoms in 79 of them. Sensitivity and specificity of the fructose hydrogen breath test were 98 or 86 per cent respectively. 19 patients with an abnormal breath test and symptoms following fructose were reexamined after a load with equimolar concentrations of glucose and fructose. Hydrogen breath test was normal in all of them, none developed abdominal discomfort. CONCLUSION: A considerable number of individuals suffer from dysfunctional gastrointestinal problems due to fructose malabsorption. The fructose hydrogen breath test is a simple, sensitive and noninvasive method for the diagnosis for this disorder. Possible means of treatment are dietary fructose restriction or a modification of the diet in which fructose-containing foods are exchanged for those with equal concentrations of glucose and fructose.

Abdominal Pain

Symptoms of upper gastrointestinal dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: case-control study.

A case-control study was undertaken to see if symptoms of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) (oropharyngeal, esophageal, and gastric) dysfunction occurred more frequently in males afflicted with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) than healthy controls. Subjects included 55 children with confirmed DMD and 55 age-matched controls without neuromuscular disease. All subjects and/or their parents responded to a standard set of questions concerning the frequency of symptoms of UGI dysfunction. Responses of the DMD and control groups were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. A significantly higher percentage of DMD patients experienced nasal quality to the voice, dysphagia, choking while eating, the need to clear the throat during or after eating, heartburn, and vomiting during or after meals, than did controls. Only one symptom--heartburn--was found significantly more frequently in the 33 nonambulatory than the 22 ambulatory DMD subjects. These findings document that feeding difficulty and symptoms consistent with oropharyngeal, esophageal, and gastric dysfunction are more frequent in the DMD population than healthy, age-matched controls.

Adolescent

Gastrointestinal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: frequency and pathophysiology.

Although more extensive research is required to fully characterize the pathophysiology of the gastrointestinal symptoms in PD, much of the presently available data suggest that the primary PD process is the major factor in the etiology of gut dysfunction in this patient population. This may be mediated by both central and peripheral mechanisms. Involvement of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus might produce dysfunction of muscles controlling deglutition and esophageal motility, thereby leading to drooling, dysphagia, and gastroesophageal reflux. The presence of Lewy bodies, the primary neuropathologic finding in the CNS in PD, in the myenteric plexus of both the esophagus and colon suggests that the PD process may also affect the enteric nervous system and contribute to the development of esophageal dysmotility and constipation through this peripheral mechanism. Dopamine receptors have been identified in the lower esophageal sphincter and the esophageal body of animals. If similarly present in humans, involvement of this dopaminergic system could contribute to the development of dysphagia and nausea of PD. Constipation may reflect both peripheral involvement, indicated by Lewy bodies in the colonic myenteric plexus, leading to colonic inertia, and central mechanisms, leading to pelvic floor dysfunction.

Colon

Nutritional status, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and survival in patients with AIDS.

The clinical course of 71 patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was evaluated to determine relationships among nutritional status, gastrointestinal symptoms and survival. At baseline, weight loss was present in 98%, hypoalbuminemia (less than 3.5 g/dl) was present in 83%, and gastrointestinal symptoms included pharyngitis (54%), diarrhea (42%), nausea (23%), dysphagia (21%), and anorexia (18%). Both the magnitude of body weight loss and the serum albumin level were strongly associated with life-table analysis of survival. For weight loss, median survival of 520 vs. 48 days occurred in patients with less than 10% versus greater than 20% baseline weight loss, respectively (p less than 0.01). The substantial influence of serum albumin on survival is outlined below. (table; see text) In almost all cases, serial evaluation demonstrated progressive linear decrease in body weight and albumin. In patients with normal baseline albumin, the rate of 0.7 mg/dl albumin decrease per day was less than half that in patients with baseline hypoalbuminemia. A projected "time to develop an albumin level less than 2.5 g/dl" was calculated for patient groups based on initial albumin level and the rate of albumin decrease. The calculated interval was similar to the actual median survival time observed in these groups. We conclude that 1) nutritional status may represent a major determinant of survival in AIDS and 2) the rate of albumin decrease may define a function limiting survival of individual patients with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Gastrointestinal dysfunction and its effects on nutrition in CF.

Prevention of malnutrition, a consequence of elevated energy requirements, increased losses and low caloric intake, is one of the main goals in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Caloric stool losses, catch-up growth and an elevated energy expenditure, even in the absence of overt lung disease and malabsorption, have led to recommendations for a caloric intake of 120-150% of the recommended daily allowances. A high energy intake with a fat content of at least 40 calorie % and adequate pancreatic supplementation has shown to improve growth and median age of survival. As a rational treatment of the fundamental disturbance in cystic fibrosis, a decrease in chloride permeability across epithelia, is not yet available, treatment should be concentrated on adequate nutritional support in combination with optimal correction of those gastrointestinal abnormalities including faecal bile acid loss, small intestinal abnormalities, pancreatic insufficiency, hormonal abnormalities and disturbances in gastrointestinal motility, which may aggravate maldigestion and malabsorption.

Cystic Fibrosis

Gastrointestinal dysfunction in immunoglobulin deficiency. Effect of corticosteroids and tetracycline.

Idiopathic late-onset immunoglobulin deficiency in a young man was associated with achlorhydria and a severe intestinal malabsorption syndrome that did not respond to conventional therapy. Combined therapy with high doses of prednisone and tetracycline hydrochloride resulted in weight gain, cessation of diarrhea, improved absorption of water, fat, and vitamin B12, and production of gastric acid after stimulation with histamine. Serum immunoglobulin levels, however, did not increase.

Achlorhydria

Bile acid malabsorption caused by gastrointestinal motility dysfunction? An investigation of gastrointestinal disturbances in familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy.

Gastrointestinal dysfunction due to autonomous neuropathy is a complication described in various diseases such as diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, and familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy. We present the results of a prospective investigation of bile acid malabsorption in 17 patients with familial amyloidosis by means of 75Se-labelled homocholic-tauro acid (SeHCAT). The diagnosis was in all cases verified by the DNA test for mutation of transthyretin in position 30. Small-intestinal biopsy specimens were examined for deposits of amyloid, and the presence of gastric retention was evaluated by gastroscopy. In addition, the patients were investigated for bacterial overgrowth by means of the bile acid breath test (BABT). A high frequency of abnormal BABT results (44%) was encountered. However, 65% also had abnormal low SeHCAT values, indicating bile acid malabsorption. Only two patients had abnormal BABT and normal SeHCAT results, indicating bacterial contamination of the small intestine. Bile acid losses increased with the duration of gastrointestinal symptoms. Significantly lower SeHCAT values were encountered in patients with gastric retention, whereas the occurrence of amyloid deposits in small-intestinal biopsy specimens was without effect on SeHCAT retention. Bile acid malabsorption is frequently encountered in familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy and seems to be more closely associated with gastrointestinal motility dysfunction than with amyloid deposits in the intestinal mucosa.

Amyloidosis

[Gastrointestinal motility and autonomic nerve dysfunction].

Gastrointestinal motility is greatly influenced by both the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the enteric nervous system (ENS). Dysfunction of ANS and/or ENS produces various kinds of dysmotility from the esophagus to the colon. Generalized autonomic dysfunction, often seen in diabetics, causes abnormal peristaltic waves in the esophagus, abnormal electrical activity of the stomach, delayed gastric emptying and delayed intestinal transit. Localized disorders of the enteric nervous system is seen in patients with achalasia and Hirschsprung's diseases. Functional disorders, without evidence of organic disorders, like non-cardiac chest pain, non-ulcer dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, can be partly caused by abnormal function of autonomic nervous system.

Autonomic Nervous System

Structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract in primary immunodeficiency syndromes (IDS) and in granulocyte dysfunction.

Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is frequently encountered in patients with defective defense mechanisms. The incidence of GI disease and the structure and function of the GI tract have been studied systematically in 41 patients with immunodeficiency syndromes (IDS) and in 9 patients with chronic granulomatous diesase (CGD). Giardia lamblia was a major cause of GI disease in patients with IDS. Eradication of the parasite resulted in disappearance of symptoms and malabsorption, and normalization of the villus architecture. Six of 9 patients with CGD had either GI symptoms or malabsorption or both. Typical histologic changes were found in the small intestinal and rectal mucosa of all patients biopsied.

Carotenoids

Paraneoplastic visceral neuropathy as a cause of severe gastrointestinal motor dysfunction.

The purpose of this study was to define the cause of severe gastrointestinal motor dysfunction in 7 patients with lung cancer. Six patients had small cell carcinoma and 1 patient had pulmonary carcinoid. Their ages ranged from 58 to 74 yr. All had intestinal pseudoobstruction and obstipation/constipation; 6 of 7 patients had gastroparesis; 4 of 4 patients had esophageal peristaltic abnormalities; and 2 patients had neurogenic bladders, autonomic insufficiency, and peripheral neuropathy. Five of 7 patients had dilated small bowel with 4 of them showing slow transit of barium; 2 of 7 patients had dilated colons; and 3 of 7 patients had slow colonic transit. Five patients died 4-9 mo after onset of gastrointestinal symptoms, and 2 survived. Post-mortem or surgical samples of the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, and colon showed neuron and axon degeneration and dropout, lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, and glial cell proliferation within the myenteric plexus of 6 patients. The antrum from the seventh patient had inflammatory cells within the myenteric plexus but without neuron dropout. Neuron numbers were significantly less than normal in each area of the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, we conclude that lung cancer may be complicated by severe gastrointestinal motor dysfunction resulting from visceral neuropathy of the myenteric plexus, a paraneoplastic effect of the cancer.

Aged

Gastrointestinal motor dysfunction in acquired selective cholinergic dysautonomia associated with infectious mononucleosis.

This report documents the disturbance in gastrointestinal motor function in a patient with selective cholinergic dysautonomia that occurred following acute infectious mononucleosis. Apart from the gut, other organs affected included the pupils, sweat glands, lacrimal and salivary glands, and urinary bladder. Autonomic function tests showed the preservation of sympathetic adrenergic functions in contrast to the generalized involvement of postganglionic parasympathetic and sympathetic cholinergic nerves, including denervation hypersensitivity of the pupil and urinary bladder to exogenous cholinergic agonists. Cardiac and abdominal vagal responses were abnormal. Colon myenteric plexus ganglion cells were normal by morphological and immunohistochemical studies, suggesting that the selective cholinergic dysautonomia was the most likely pathophysiologic process responsible for the observed motility disorder. This study documents the occurrence of selective cholinergic dysautonomia following a viral illness, the importance of the extrinsic neural control on the motor function of the gastrointestinal tract, and the usefulness of combined motility and autonomic function testing in the evaluation of patients with symptoms suggestive of gut dysmotility.

Adult

Interactions of the salivary and gastrointestinal systems. II. Effects of salivary gland dysfunction on the gastrointestinal tract.

Salivary gland dysfunction is uniformly detrimental to the oral cavity. Its effects on the GI tract have begun to be explored. Dry mouth is a common complaint among older adults, probably due to systemic disease and its therapy rather than the aging process per se. Evaluation of complaints of dry mouth should include medical history, sialometry and physical examination. Numerous medications can elicit drug-induced xerostomia. Patients who have received radiation therapy to the head and neck region often have permanent radiation-induced xerostomia, which has been linked to esophagitis. SS is an autoimmune systemic exocrinopathy resulting in irreversible salivary gland dysfunction. SS has numerous GI manifestations, including dysphagia, temporal defects of deglutition, esophageal dysmotility, gastritis, pancreatitis and liver disease. Management of salivary hypofunction is directed toward preserving the dentition and improving patient comfort. Drug-induced xerostomia is often correctable by altering the therapeutic modality.

Aging

Persistent diarrhea and fecal shedding of retroviral nucleic acids in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Gastrointestinal dysfunction is a serious problem in many children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the etiology of which has not been clearly defined. Quantitative nucleic acid amplification was used to study the correlation between shedding of HIV nucleic acids and gastrointestinal symptoms in HIV-infected infants and children. Many with HIV infection and persistent diarrheal disease shed HIV nucleic acids in their feces, as did an HIV-infected patient without apparent diarrheal disease. HIV nucleic acids were not found in feces of non-HIV-infected individuals. Intestinal infection with HIV appears to be important in the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal dysfunction in infants and children with HIV infection. Furthermore, the fecal shedding of HIV may play a role in HIV transmission in environments prone to high levels of fecal-oral contamination.

Base Sequence

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in hypothyroidism.

PURPOSE: To determine the risks of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in hypothyroid individuals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, 13 patients with primary hypothyroidism were identified among 382 consecutive PTCA cases in 1987. Twenty-two euthyroid PTCA control subjects and 13 hypothyroid patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB) were identified for comparison. RESULTS: Hypothyroid and euthyroid PTCA patients had similar mean ages, numbers of prior and recent acute myocardial infarctions, diseased coronary arteries, coronary arteries dilated, and serum cholesterol levels. There were no significant differences in procedure-related mortality (0% versus 0%); coronary artery dissection (23% versus 23%); reocclusion (8% versus 5%); bradycardia (0% versus 0%); heart failure (0% versus 5%); hypotension (31% versus 27%); myocardial infarction (8% versus 0%); gastrointestinal dysfunction (0% versus 0%); neuropsychiatric disturbance (15% versus 9%); hyponatremia (23% versus 23%); hypothermia (0% versus 0%); or fever (15% versus 5%). Hematoma formation tended to be more frequent in the hypothyroid group (38% versus 18%, p = 0.18). Similar results were obtained when the subgroup of more severely hypothyroid patients (thyrotropin level more than 20 mU/L, n = 7) was examined. Compared to hypothyroid CAB patients, hypothyroid PTCA patients had less incidence of heart failure (0% versus 31%, p less than 0.025); neuropsychiatric disturbance (15% versus 54%, p less than 0.025); hyponatremia (23% versus 62%, p less than 0.05); gastrointestinal dysfunction (0% versus 23%, p less than 0.025); and fever (15% versus 62%, p less than 0.001). CONCLUSION: PTCA can be performed in hypothyroid patients without increased mortality or major morbidity, and when appropriate, may be preferred to bypass surgery for coronary revascularization in patients intolerant of full thyroid hormone replacement.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary

[Sensitivity to antibiotics and antibacterial preparations of conditionally pathogenic bacteria isolated from patients with gastrointestinal tract dysfunctions].

Sensitivity of 690 cultures of the conditionally pathogenic microbes of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae to 17 drugs was studied with the agar diffusion method. It was found that 98.6 per cent of the cultures had multiple resistance to 2--10 drugs. Most of the cultures were resistant to erythromycin, carbenicillin and ampicillin. Different species of the conditionally pathogenic microorganisms were resistant to different numbers of the drugs. Thus, Ps. aeruginosa cultures were resistant to 6--10 drugs, the cultures of Citrobacter were resistant to 3--8 drugs and the cultures of Kl. pneumonia were resistant to 2--5 drugs. Levomycetin, tetracycline, streptomycin and biseptol proved to be the most active antibacterial drugs.

Anti-Bacterial Agents