The autonomic nervous system may have a role in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome. If so, the occurrence of irritable bowel symptomatology in patients with autonomic neuropathy might indicate which, if any, of these symptoms are dependent on autonomic innervation. The prevalence of abdominal pain, abdominal distension and an abnormal bowel habit was recorded in 200 patients with diab...

A double blind placebo controlled trial of ispaghula husk in 80 patients with irritable bowel syndrome is reported. Global assessment judged treatment to be satisfactory in 82% of patients receiving ispaghula and 530/o of the placebo group (p<0(02). Bowel habit was unchanged in the placebo group, while constipation significantly improved in patients taking ispaghula (p=() .026). Transit time de...

Ankylosing Spondylitis is a form of spondyloarthropathies characterized by chronic inflammation of the joints of axial skeleton, manifested clinically by pain and progressive stiffening of spine. It is evidenced that sero-negative spondyloarthropathies are closely related with gut inflammatory lesions. This inflammatory gut lesions may be clinically silent or with abnormal bowel symptoms. This ...

A double blind placebo controlled trial of ispaghula husk in 80 patients with irritable bowel syndrome is reported. Global assessment judged treatment to be satisfactory in 82% of patients receiving ispaghula and 53% of the placebo group (p less than 0.02). Bowel habit was unchanged in the placebo group, while constipation significantly improved in patients taking ispaghula (p = 0.026). Transit...

BACKGROUND Abnormalities of gut motility and visceral pain perception are both thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome and may be susceptible to modulation by drugs affecting the various 5-HT receptor subtypes. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of a 5-HT3 antagonist in irritable bowel syndrome. METHODS Fifty patients with irritab...

The bowel habit of 350 preschool children from a single general practice was studied. Eighty five per cent of 1 to 4 year olds eating a predominantly low fibre diet opened their bowels once or twice a day and 96% of the children fell within the range of three times a day to every other day. At all ages most children produced soft stools of about 25 ml volume. Mean intestinal transit time of 35 ...

A prospective study of bowel frequency in patients with thyroid disease showed increased frequency of bowel action in thyrotoxicosis and decreased frequency in myxoedema. The contrary findings of previous studies may be due to the use of inexact criteria in interrogation of the patients.