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[Prolonged diarrhea in infancy: effect of deconjugated bile acids and cholestyramine action]
Insights
Cholestyramine effectively treated acute diarrhea in young children, with most patients responding well. Persistent diarrhea cases were linked to bile acid deconjugation, which cholestyramine helped resolve with no observed side effects.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Microbiology
- Pharmacology
Context:
- Acute diarrhea is a common pediatric illness.
- Bile acid malabsorption can contribute to persistent diarrhea.
- Cholestyramine is a bile acid sequestrant.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy of cholestyramine in treating acute diarrhea in children.
- To investigate the role of bile acid deconjugation in persistent diarrhea.
- To assess the safety and side effects of cholestyramine in this population.
Summary:
- A study of 527 children aged 3 months to 5 years with acute diarrhea found cholestyramine effective in 98% of cases.
- Persistent diarrhea in 10 patients was investigated; 7 showed bile acid deconjugation, with 6 achieving clinical cure after cholestyramine.
- Three patients without bile acid deconjugation showed improvement in one case with cholestyramine, and no adverse drug effects were reported.
Impact:
- Cholestyramine demonstrates significant therapeutic value for acute pediatric diarrhea.
- Identifying bile acid deconjugation as a factor in treatment resistance informs clinical management.
- The favorable safety profile supports cholestyramine's use in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
527 patients whose ages ranged from 3 months to 5 years, with acute diarrhea were studied. 517 showed satisfactory response to treatment. Diarrhea persisted in 10 patients (2 %) and bile acids were determined in intestinal juice before and after cholestyramine administration. 7 patients showed bile acids deconjugation, 6 of which cured clinically. 3 patients showed no deconjugation, and 1 of them improved after cholestyramine therapy. Side effects of drug were not observed.