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| Ulcerative Colitis Help |
| Many support groups exist especially the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) |
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(source: Southern Medical Journal).
More Information (source: Southern Medical Journal).
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12/31/1969 03:59 PM
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Comparison of the Possible Risk Factors of Bone Mineral Density in Subjects with Ulcerative Colitis and Healthy Subjects
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Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a gastrointestinal system disorder with a variety of causes. The prevalence of reduced bone mineral density (BMD) is greater in people with IBD as compared with healthy individuals. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible risk factors for low BMD in subjects with ulcerative colitis (UC) and in healthy control subjects.
Subjects and Methods: A total of 40 subjects with UC and 29 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Age; sex; body mass index; location and duration of disease; current corticosteroid, azathioprine, or other immunosuppressive medications; smoking; consumption of alcohol, milk, and milk products; menstrual pattern in women; and use of vitamin D, calcium, folic acid, multivitamins, and iron preparations were recorded. BMD was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at L2-L4 of the spine and the femoral neck.
Results: The BMD of patients was found to be lower than that in the control group. The T and z scores of the lumbar vertebra and femoral neck were normal in 21 subjects (52.5%). A total of 17 (42.5%) subjects had osteopenia, and 2 (5%) subjects had osteoporosis. Parathyroid hormone, 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3, osteocalcin, and urinary markers were found to be similar in both groups. There were no significant differences between subjects with UC and subjects in the control group according to age, sex, and conventional risk factors.
Conclusions: The BMD of subjects with UC was found to be lower than that in subjects of similar age and sex in the control group. Our findings suggest that that the disease itself is the most important pathogenic factor contributing to low BMD.
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12/31/1969 03:59 PM
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Black Strap Molasses for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-associated Anemia
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Black Strap Molasses for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-associated Anemia. supplements. However, most patients with ulcerative colitis-associated anemia improve on intravenous iron alone
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12/31/1969 03:59 PM
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Diagnostic Tests for Rheumatic Disease: Clinical Utility Revisited
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Establishing a diagnosis of systemic rheumatic disease requires an integration of a patient's symptoms, physical examination findings, and the results of diagnostic testing. There is often a temptation by clinicians to rely heavily on objective measures such as the presence or absence of an autoantibody. Medical textbooks and the medical literature may overestimate the diagnostic utility of many commonly ordered tests for rheumatic disease because the tests are usually analyzed among patients with established rheumatic disease rather than among patients with an uncertain cause of symptoms as is common in practice. Few diagnostic tests are highly sensitive, though the antinuclear antibody in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in temporal arteritis are notable exceptions. Conversely, few diagnostic tests are highly specific; anti-proteinase-3 and antimyeloperoxidase antibodies (types of antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies) among patients with Wegener granulomatosis (and related vasculitides) and anti-double-stranded and anti-Smith antibodies among patients with SLE may be particularly helpful in the proper clinical settings due to their high specificity. Anticitrullinated cyclic protein (anti-CCP), a newly described autoantibody that may be highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis, requires additional study as its utility in clinical practice is uncertain.
(C) 2005 Southern Medical Association
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12/31/1969 03:59 PM
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Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy: A Systematic Review
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Wireless capsule endoscopy offers a revolutionary diagnostic tool for small bowel diseases. Since its formal introduction, it has become an integral part of the diagnostic evaluation for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. This relatively noninvasive imaging modality offered by small bowel capsule endoscopy is appealing to both patients and providers and consequently, the desire to expand its diagnostic role continues to grow. The use of CE in the diagnosis of Crohn disease and chronic diarrhea is being further investigated, as is the potential of employing this technique as a cancer surveillance mechanism in patients with hereditary polyposis syndromes which may involve the small bowel. This review article discusses the current indications for small bowel capsule endoscopy, the results of capsule endoscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and small bowel diseases, and patient outcomes following capsule endoscopy. Capsule endoscopy is compared with traditional diagnostic modalities, including small bowel series, enteroclysis, CT, and push enteroscopy. Small bowel capsule endoscopy is the procedure of choice to evaluate obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, and is superior to radiographic procedures in detecting Crohn disease of the small bowel.
(C) 2007 Southern Medical Association
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12/31/1969 03:59 PM
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Wegener Granulomatosis: A Case Report and Update
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Wegener granulomatosis (WG) is a systemic disease of unknown etiology characterized by necrotizing granulomatous inflammation, tissue necrosis, and variable degrees of vasculitis in small and medium-sized blood vessels. The classic clinical pattern is a triad involving the upper airways, lungs and kidneys. Ninety percent of patients present with symptoms involving the upper and/or lower airways, and 80% will eventually develop renal disease. WG should be suspected in any patient with progressive or unresponsive sinus disease, glomerulonephritis, pulmonary hemorrhage, mononeuritis multiplex or unexplained multisystem disease. Before the routine use of glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, the one year mortality was 82%. However in 1973, Fauci and Wolf discovered that daily prednisone and cyclophosphamide induced complete remission in 75% of patients. The continued use of prednisone and cyclophosphamide for 1 year past remission leads to marked improvement in more than 90% of patients; however, is also associated with serious toxicities. Depending on the disease severity, current treatments employ induction with short-term cyclophosphamide followed by less toxic agents such as methotrexate to maintain disease remission. Although it is a rare disorder, it is pertinent to internists because it is a multisystem disease that presents in a variety of ways. We describe a 63-year-old white male with WG who presented with progressively worsening headaches, bilateral eye redness, epistaxis, hemoptysis and an unintentional 20 pound weight loss, and review the current treatment recommendations.
(C) 2006 Southern Medical Association
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12/31/1969 03:59 PM
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Factitious Diarrhea Masquerading as Refractory Celiac Disease
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A 23-year-old female with a history of a histologically confirmed diagnosis of celiac disease was referred to our institution for refractory celiac disease for consideration of immunosuppressive therapy. Full workup revealed an elevated fecal magnesium level, and a concurrent diagnosis of laxative abuse was confirmed after discussion with the family. This case highlights the importance of considering factitious diarrhea in all patients admitted for refractory diarrhea, even those with documented underlying conditions.
(C) 2006 Southern Medical Association
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