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Query: UMLS:C0000737 (abdominal pain)
 31,184 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In the years 1981-1985 21 patients were operated upon for symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms. Atypical symptoms such as acute pancreatitis, weight loss, blood in the stool or urine, incorrect interpretation of abdominal pain and physical examination findings caused erroneous initial diagnosis and delay in referring the patient to surgical treatment in nine cases. Long history prior to admission was noted even in patients with ruptured aneurysms; mortality in these patients was high, 66%. Best results were achieved with aneurysm resection; indirect aneurysm occlusion in combination with axillofemoral bypass attempted in two patients was not successful.
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PMID:[Symptomatic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta]. 292 54

Based on clinical studies, the Rome Criteria for the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were developed by consensus. The criteria emphasize the presence of abdominal pain and the link between pain and changes in bowel habit. The reliance on a clinical gold standard rather than a biological marker remains one of the major limitations in refining diagnostic criteria. A convincing argument can be mounted that IBS is a disease (a cause of unease). Approximately 10-15% of the general population have IBS, and it affects females more often than males, for unexplained reasons. The annual incidence is probably 1-2%. The onset of symptoms is balanced by symptom loss, so the prevalence remains stable from year to year. Up to one half have symptom improvement over time. Only a minority present for medical care; pain severity as well as psychological distress in part explain health-care seeking. IBS significantly impacts on quality of life. The economic impact is enormous, representing a multi-billion dollar problem in the United States. The development of acceptable, symptom-based diagnostic criteria has advanced the field, stimulating interest in the pathophysiology and targeted pharmacological therapy, which are essential steps if the disease burden is to be reduced.
Baillieres Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 1999 Oct
PMID:Irritable bowel syndrome: definition, diagnosis and epidemiology. 1058 Sep 15

Dysfunction of the sensory system of the gut is now generally believed to be important in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This disturbance may well account for some of the symptoms of the disorder, such as abdominal pain, by virtue of the fact that intra-lumenal events (e.g. contractions) may be 'sensed' more easily. It can be assessed in the laboratory by a variety of techniques, but usually involves measuring the patient's response to distension of any site of the gut, most commonly the rectum. Hypersensitivity is the most frequent finding, but hyposensitivity can also occur--hypersensitivity does not appear to be specific to any particular pattern of bowel habit, but hyposensitivity does tend to be generally only seen in patients with constipation, especially those with the 'no urge' type. Although there is some evidence to support hypersensitivity being related to enhanced vigilance in some patients, other data suggest that there may be a true alteration in sensory processing. The mechanisms underlying this sensory dysfunction remain to be elucidated, but could involve changes in either the enteric, spinal and/or central nervous systems. Finally, factors such as gender, stress, emotion and infection can all influence the sensitivity of the gut and may therefore play a role in IBS.
Baillieres Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 1999 Oct
PMID:Sensory dysfunction and the irritable bowel syndrome. 1058 Sep 18

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a consortium of symptoms including abdominal pain and alterations in the pattern of defaecation. There is no single pathophysiological marker of IBS although it is generally accepted that some patients do have abnormalities of intestinal motility and/or enhanced visceral sensitivity. There is also an increasing acceptance that the central nervous system, an important component of the brain-gut axis, also plays an important role in symptom production both in the response to stress and when there is an underlying affective disorder. During the past decade new therapeutic targets have been identified that have permitted the development of new drugs with therapeutic potential for IBS. Identification and characterization of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors in the gastrointestinal tract particularly 5-HT3 and 5-HT4 receptors, which are involved not only in modulating gut motility but in visceral sensory pathways, has led to a number of studies of 5-HT3 (Alosetron, Granisetron and Ondansetron) and 5-HT4 (SB-207266A) antagonists. Both classes of drug appear to reduce visceral sensitivity and have inhibitory effects on motor activity in the distal intestine. Early clinical studies suggest that these agents may have a role in painful, diarrhoea-predominant IBS. 5-HT4 agonists (HTF919, Zelmac) may improve constipation-predominant IBS by normalizing bowel habit and thereby reducing abdominal pain. Alternative approaches to reducing visceral sensation include the use of the opioid kappa agonists, which have no central opioid effects although clinical trials have suggested that these agents are not highly effective in relieving IBS pain. There are in addition, new approaches to modify intestinal motility including the development of gut selective muscarinic M3 receptor antagonists such as zamifenacin and the 5-HT4 partial agonist, HTF919. Preliminary studies suggest that these agents may have therapeutic potential in IBS. Anti-depressants are increasingly used to treat affective disorder in IBS but in addition appear to have added value because of their ability to reduce visceral hypersensitivity and alter gut transit. Therapeutic effects are often obtained at doses below those normally used to treat depression. IBS continues to be a therapeutic challenge because of its diverse symptomatology and lack of a single pathophysiological target for drug intervention.
Baillieres Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 1999 Oct
PMID:Irritable bowel syndrome: new pharmaceutical approaches to treatment. 1058 Sep 22

Systemic vasculitides, and especially their gastrointestinal manifestations, are a continuous challenge not only for gastroenterologists and rheumatologists but also for every practising physician. Owing to their chameleon-like appearance, overt clinical symptoms of vasculitides may be restricted to distinct parts of the human body including the intestine. In clinical practice, it is therefore essential to search for the systemic disease underlying the gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bleeding, ileus and necrosis in case vasculitis is suspected or likely as a cause for these sequelae. Classification of intestinal vasculitides is also difficult, since most of the criteria currently used have been established by rheumatologists and, in general, biopsies of the affected vessels cannot be obtained. However, there are increasing data that not only facilitate diagnosis but also allow adequate immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches, which will be outlined in detail in this chapter.
Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2001 Feb
PMID:Vasculitides of the gastrointestinal tract. 1135 1

Iron overload in body tissues can cause complications such as cirrhosis, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, hypogonadism and arthritis. In populations of northern European descent, most iron overload is due to hereditary haemochromatosis (HHC), a genetic condition that causes increased iron absorption. HHC can be treated or prevented by regular phlebotomy treatments. Some experts have called for population screening for HHC, so that early phlebotomy treatment can be initiated. Two screening tests are available: measurement of the serum iron transferrin saturation (Tf%) and genetic testing for HFE mutations. However, both methods have low positive predictive values. Current data suggest that most people at risk are unlikely to develop clinical symptoms and that the population prevalence of clinical complications of HHC is low, arguing against population screening. Two other prevention strategies are available. (1) Health provider education, to heighten awareness of HHC as an explanation for symptoms and signs seen in early iron overload including unexplained fatigue, joint pain, palpitations, abdominal pain, elevated liver function tests, hepatomegaly and elevated serum ferritin. (2) Family-based testing after a diagnosis of HHC, to ensure that relatives are evaluated for evidence of iron overload. More research is also needed to identify the factors that increase risk for disease in persons with excess iron uptake, to determine whether moderate iron overload is a health risk and to evaluate the causes of iron overload other than HHC.
Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2002 Jun
PMID:Hereditary haemochromatosis: a realistic approach to prevention of iron overload disease in the population. 1240 10

Barium enema remains the gold standard for demonstrating the extent and severity of colonic diverticular disease. As such, barium studies have a role in clarifying the differential diagnosis of patients with abdominal pain and altered gut function. In acute diverticulitis or suspected diverticular perforation water soluble contrast studies are preferred to barium. An alternative in this acute scenario is cross-sectional imaging by ultrasound, or more usefully computed tomography (CT). CT is especially helpful in complicated diverticular disease. Diverticular disease is a common finding at colonoscopy and is often a complicating factor in the technical performance of the procedure. In acute diverticulitis, when the risk of perforation is high, colonoscopy should not be performed. In acute diverticular haemorrhage, colonoscopic haemostatic therapy with adrenaline can be effectively performed.
Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2002 Aug
PMID:Imaging diverticular disease. 1240 53

Diverticular disease is rare in the adolescent. Acute diverticulitis is almost never considered as a diagnosis for a young patient presenting with abdominal pain. Unfortunately, unrecognized it may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Also, when present, diverticulitis in the young adult is considered to be more aggressive compared to diverticulitis in older adults. Therefore, it is important to recognize, diagnose and manage diverticular disease appropriately in this age group. In tis chapter we will review the available literature on diverticula disease in the adolescent and young adult, discuss epidemiology, aetiology and pathogenesis and suggest guidelines for diagnosis and management.
Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2002 Aug
PMID:Diverticular disease in adolescence. 1240 55

The term 'functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID)' is used to define several variable combinations of chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms that do not have an identified underlying pathophysiology. In the absence of any objective marker, the identification and classification of FGIDs are based on symptoms. The most widely accepted classification is based on the 'Rome diagnostic criteria,' which have classified 24 FGIDs into oesophageal, gastroduodenal, bowel, biliary, anorectal and abdominal pain subcategories. Classification into mutually exclusive categories has been useful for performing epidemiological studies in homogeneous populations, but has inevitably lead to disregarding subjects with overlapping FGIDs, or with a not sufficiently standardised symptom presentation. The epidemiology of FGID is still in its infancy, as indicated by the lack of epidemiological data for many FGIDs and the widely different incidence and prevalence rates reported for the most frequently occurring and investigated FGIDs: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), dyspepsia, constipation and oesophageal disorders. Epidemiological studies and the definitions of the various FGIDs need to be further improved and standardised.
Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2004 Aug
PMID:Definition and epidemiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders. 1532 3

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is part of the spectrum of functional bowel disorders characterised by a diverse consortium of abdominal symptoms including abdominal pain, altered bowel function (bowel frequency and/or constipation), bloating, abdominal distension, the sensation of incomplete evacuation and the increased passage of mucus. It is not surprising therefore that no single, unifying mechanism has as yet been put forward to explain symptom production in IBS. The currently favoured model includes both central and end-organ components which may be combined to create an integrated hypothesis incorporating psychological factors (stress, distress, affective disorder) with end-organ dysfunction (motility disorder, visceral hypersensitivity) possibly aggravated by sub-clinical inflammation as a residuum of an intestinal infection. There is currently no universally effective therapy for IBS. Standard therapy generally involves a symptom-directed approach; anti-diarrhoeal agents for bowel frequency, soluble fibre or laxatives for constipation and smooth muscle relaxants and anti-spasmodics for pain. New drug development has focused predominantly on agents that modify the effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the gut, principally the 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists for painful diarrhoea predominant IBS and 5-HT(4) agonists for constipation predominant IBS. More speculative new therapeutic approaches include anti-inflammatory agents, antibiotics, probiotics, antagonists of CCK1 receptors, tachykinins and other novel neuronal receptors.
Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2004 Aug
PMID:Treatment options in irritable bowel syndrome. 1532 13


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