Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0017160 (gastroenteritis)
 11,398 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 58 year old Chinese male, one week after arriving in Canada from Hong Kong, presented with acute abdominal pain and diarrhoea which was rapidly followed by Escherichia coli infection causing septicaemia and meningitis. His past history revealed bronchial asthma for 15 years treated with steroids. At laparotomy, 7 days after the onset of symptoms, he was found to have extensive haemorrhagic infarction of the small bowel and right colon. Examination of the fibrosed mesenteric vessels revealed numerous filariform larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis, within the walls, and in all layers of bowel wall. The role of the parasite in the production of obliterative arteritis in this fatal case of haemorrhagic enteropathy is discussed. Clinical strongyloidiasis, in uncomplicated cases, varies from mild to severe with gastroenteritis, nausea, colicky abdominal pain, electrolyte imbalance and symptoms of malabsorption syndrome (MARCIAL-ROJAS, 1971). In malnourished individuals and patients with debilitating infections, either newly acquired or asymptomatic latent infection with S. stercoralis can assume severe dimensions (BROWN and PERNA, 1958; HUGHTON and HORN, 1959). Similarly, in patients on steroid (CRUZ et al., 1966; WILLIS and MWOKOLO, 1966; NEEFE et al., 1973) and immunosuppressive therapy for lymphomatous diseases or deficient in immune response (ROGERS and NELSON, 1966; RIVERA et al., 1970), systemic strongyloidiasis is often fatal. The increased frequency of auto-infection in such patients with a breached immune barrier is, however, unclear. Further complications of this infection due to severe enterocolitis result in sepsis, bacteraemia and meningitis (BROWN and PERNA, 1958; HUGHTON and HORN, 1959). This paper presents a fatal case of S. stercoralis infection which illustrates an uncommon if not unique, mechanism in its production of haemorrhagic enteropathy leading to sepsis and death.
 ...
PMID:Fatal bowel infarction and sepsis: an unusual complication of systemic strongyloidiasis. 122 84

Ninety infants and young children with acute gastroenteritis were investigated for lactose malabsorption. Each of them was given an oral lactose load of 2g per kg of body weight after which breath hydrogen excretion was measured, and each was observed for clinical symptoms of lactose intolerance. Only 2 patients, given 2g per kg of lactose, had clinical lactose intolerance. Forty-nine of the 90 patients studied were found to have the rotavirus antigen in their stools. Forty-five of them were found to have an abnormal lactose breath hydrogen test (LBHT). Twenty-three patients with abnormal LBHT were restarted on a diluted lactose-containing formula for oral feeding. They required longer hospitalization (mean 6.7 days, range 3-14 days) and were free of diarrhea in 14 days (mean 7.5 days). Twenty-two patients found to have an abnormal LBHT were given a nonlactose-containing formula (Isomil, Nursoy, Alsoy, ProSobee, or Bebelac FL) when restarted on oral feeding. All patients require less than 5 days of hospitalization and free of diarrhea in 5 days (mean 3.4 days). The difference was statistically significant (p less than 0.05).
 ...
PMID:Breath hydrogen test for assessment of lactose malabsorption following rotavirus gastroenteritis. 198 76

In a group of nine children with postenteritis enteropathy (i.e., persisting small-intestinal mucosal damage and failure-to-thrive after an acute episode of gastroenteritis), absorption capacities for vitamin B12 and folic acid were studied and compared with hematological status in peripheral blood. The fractional absorptions of vitamin B12 (FAB12) and folic acid (FAFol) were determined by means of a double-isotope technique employing a single-stool-sample test. The children were examined when growth retardation was maximal, and examinations were repeated during the late recovery period. In spite of considerable small-intestinal mucosal damage, only the absorption of vitamin B12 was markedly affected, while that of folic acid was almost intact. When growth retardation was maximal, FAB12 was below the normal age-correlated range in half of the children. FAB12 was also severely reduced in all longitudinally observed children when compared with the results obtained during the late recovery period (p less than 0.005). FAFol was below the normal range in one fourth of the children, but the reduction was modest and insignificant when compared with the results of repeated examinations during the late recovery period. A moderate iron deficiency was detected in half the children. High levels of plasma vitamin B12, folic acid, and erythrocyte folate were detected at both early and later examinations, indicating that these parameters were not affected by the reduced absorption capacities. However, if malabsorption and chronic diarrhea are combined with low dietary intake of vitamin B12, as is the case for many children in the Third World, depletion of vitamin B12 stores may result.
 ...
PMID:Vitamin B12 and folic acid absorption and hematological status in children with postenteritis enteropathy. 224 17

With a view to observing if gastroenteritis to rotavirus produced greater carbohydrate malabsorption, we studied 94 male infants, between three and thirty six months of age, with acute diarrhea and dehydration. The metabolic study included the analysis of every intake and excretion during the first 24 hours of oral rehydration and realimentation. Thirty two infants had rotavirus as the single etiological agent, but in numbers it could only be compared to 35 patients in whom we were unable to establish the causal etiological agent of diarrhea in spite of the application of all the usual techniques. No differences were noted with regard to stool and urine losses, nor nutrient intakes of the groups. The present study does not confirm the observation reported in other papers that diarrhea to rotavirus causes a greater loss of carbohydrates.
 ...
PMID:[Comparative study of nitrogen, lipids and energy loss through the feces in children dehydrated by acute diarrhea due to rotavirus and other agents]. 251 16

After acute gastroenteritis, delayed recovery and protracted diarrhoea may occur, particularly in very young infants, in bottle-fed malnourished infants, and after rota virus infection. Monosaccharide and disaccharide malabsorption have been demonstrated to contribute to postenteritis problems in these children. The contribution of secondary food protein intolerance to the perpetuation of diarrhoea after gastroenteritis is less well understood. Secondary sugar intolerance is diagnosed by estimation of stool pH, Clinitest, H2 breath testing and, in some cases, direct enzyme determination from biopsy material. Diagnosis of secondary cow's milk or soy-protein intolerance has to be done by clinical challenge. Dietary therapy consists of elimination of the malabsorbed food compound. A general elimination diet (lactose-free protein hydrolysate formula) is not necessary in the majority of cases but may be life-saving in individual infants. In West European countries postenteritis problems have become less in quality and quantity during the last few years.
 ...
PMID:[Secondary carbohydrate and protein intolerances following gastroenteritis]. 268 14

Enteric virus infections were studied in two children with congenital T-cell immunodeficiency. One patient (LC) with cartilage hair hypoplasia developed persistent diarrhea and malabsorption following acute gastroenteritis. Electron microscope (EM) examination of feces revealed excretion of rotavirus for more than 450 days with concurrent astrovirus infection for at least 225 days, associated with the persistent diarrhea. Prolonged infection with poliovirus type 2 following vaccination had previously been noted in this patient. The second patient (DT), with the CHARGE association and DiGeorge syndrome, had two episodes of loose stools. EM of fecal extracts demonstrated rotavirus excretion for at least 66 days following the initial episode. Virus-specific immune responses were assayed in these two patients. LC showed a poor serum neutralizing antibody response to polio vaccination, no detectable antibody response (by immune EM and ELISA) to rotavirus, and no detectable antibody response to astrovirus (by immune EM). Rotavirus specific cell mediated immunity was also not detectable. DT showed no detectable serum antibody response to rotavirus (by ELISA). Rotavirus isolates from both patients were found to be group A viruses and were further analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Atypical genome profiles, with multiple additional bands between segments 3-7 of the normal rotavirus profile, were obtained throughout the course of each illness, including the earliest specimens available (day 41, LC; day 7, DT). These results indicate that chronic virus infection of the gut can occur in patients with T-cell immunodeficiency. Such chronic infection may be associated with persistent diarrhea and can cause considerable problems of management.
 ...
PMID:Chronic enteric virus infection in two T-cell immunodeficient children. 283 34

In this review I have examined the vast literature which has accumulated on Cryptosporidium, particularly in the past 3 years, in an attempt to highlight areas in which progress has been made in relation to the organism and the disease, and to indicate areas in which knowledge is still lacking. Since 1982, a global effort by scientists and clinicians has been directed towards determining the nature of the disease in humans and the relative contribution of cryptosporidiosis to gastroenteritis. From published data, the incidence of diarrhoea is 1-5% in most developed countries, and 4-7% in less developed countries, when measured throughout the year and in all age groups. The frequency of cryptosporidiosis is highest in children aged between 6 months and 3 years, and in particular locations (e.g., day-care centres) and at particular times of the year. Although susceptibility to infection is life-long, one suspects that the lower prevalence among older children and adults is due to immunity acquired from frequent exposure. Other important factors contributing to higher prevalence are the season--it is more frequent in a wet, warm climate--association with travel to particular destinations, poor hygiene, intimate contact with certain animals, and congregation of large numbers of young previously unexposed children in day-care centres. The association between cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis presumably results from the existence of a common source of infection. The immune status of the host appears to be a major determinant of whether the infection is self-limiting or persistent. It is clear that both branches of the immune system are required for complete recovery, since T-lymphocyte dysfunction or hypogammaglobulinaemia can both lead to persistent illness. Chronic diarrhoea and malabsorption attributed to cryptosporidiosis also occur in the absence of evidence of immune defect. The importance of respiratory tract infection in humans, other than in the terminal stages of chronic illness, requires investigation. The infection has now been identified in all classes of vertebrates; it has been observed in all domestic animals including pets, and a wide range of wildlife including birds. Cryptosporidiosis seems to cause diarrhoea in young ruminants, less frequently in pets. In birds the parasite has been observed in the gastrointestinal tract, without ill effect, and in the respiratory tract, in which clinical symptoms of variable severity have been described. The mucosal response of the gastrointestinal tract to infection appears to vary among mammals and may be the key to the variable clinical manifestations observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
 ...
PMID:Cryptosporidiosis in perspective. 328 31

Complex carbohydrate intolerance occurred in three of 105 patients with protracted diarrhea of infancy. Nosocomial gastroenteritis complicated a primary disorder of carbohydrate absorption (primary glucose galactose malabsorption, two; primary sucrase isomaltase deficiency, one) in all patients. Their course was characterized by protracted diarrhea, variable degrees of villus atrophy on intestinal biopsy tissue, and negative caloric balance requiring intravenous alimentation for periods varying from 6 to 16 weeks. Dietary management required rigid exclusion of all offending carbohydrates from the diet. Delay in the diagnosis of primary carbohydrate intolerance varied from 2 weeks to 6 months. Complex carbohydrate intolerance may be more common than has been reported, and should be considered in all infants with protracted diarrhea of infancy when there is persistent carbohydrate intolerance.
 ...
PMID:Complex carbohydrate intolerance: diagnostic pitfalls and approach to management. 336 80

One fifth of all cases of A virus hepatitis (AVH) have symptoms of gastroenteritis at the onset. This study investigated the mediated intestinal absorption of D-xylose (D-xyl) and 3-o-methyl-D-glucose (3-omG) and the non-mediated permeation of lactulose (Lacl, mol wt 342) and L-rhamnose (L-rh, mol wt 164) during acute and remission phases of AVH. Ten patients with AVH were given an oral load containing these sugars (5 g D-xyl: 2.5 g 3-omG, 1 g L-rh, 5 g lacl in 250 ml water) once during the acute phase and again during remission. The same load was given once to a group of 22 healthy controls. The mean concentration of D-xyl in urine and the ratio of D-xyl to 3-omG in plasma and urine were normal in both the AVH phases, ruling out intestinal malabsorption even in the acute phase. This study showed a significant increase in non-mediated permeation to Lacl, but not to L-rh, during the acute phase. These data indicate that the barrier function of the intestine is compromised in AVH infection while the absorptive function is not. An abnormally low concentration of D-xyl and 3-omG in plasma at one hour was found in all patients during the acute phase. This finding cannot be explained by alterations in intestinal absorption, but could be accounted for by increased space distribution of the sugars because of increased diffusion into tissue cells and/or expansion of the extracellular space by fluid retention.
 ...
PMID:Investigation of intestine function during acute viral hepatitis using combined sugar oral loads. 342 69

We report the findings of a two-year survey of faecal specimens for the protozoal pathogen, Cryptosporidium. Of the 2248 patients who were tested, 55 (2.5%) patients were found to have cryptosporidial infection. Transmission of the parasite appeared mainly to occur from person to person. In immunocompetent patients it caused an acute and sometimes severe gastroenteritis. Immunoincompetent patients experienced a variable illness that ranged from asymptomatic carriage to severe diarrhoea, causing malabsorption and ultimately death. Cryptosporidium is an important cause of gastroenteritis and may be the presenting feature of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Therefore, it is pertinent to screen for this pathogen in all patients with acute diarrhoea.
 ...
PMID:Human infection with Cryptosporidium spp.: results of a 24-month survey. 365 29


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>