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Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) secretion and refractory diarrhea in patients with AIDS or AIDS-related
R Manfredi1, P Vezzadini, M P Fanti
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Italy.
Abstract:
Elevated plasma levels of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) (as assessed by a radio-immunoassay), were found in 7/11 patients with AIDS or AIDS-related Complex (ARC), evaluated because of prolonged intractable diarrhea with either an infectious (6 cases) or a non-infectious (5 cases) etiology. Six subjects have been treated with the somatostatin analogue octreotide, which gave both a favourable clinical response and a significant reduction in plasma VIP concentrations. Evaluation of plasma VIP levels may provide a pathophysiological basis for explaining the efficacy of octreotide therapy in HIV-infected patients suffering from both infectious and non-infectious refractory diarrhea.