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Gastroenterology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in gastroenterology.

Normal Enzyme Levels May Hide Advanced Liver Fibrosis

MILAN, Italy -- Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease but normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are still at risk of severe hepatic disease, researchers found.

FDA Approves Natalizumab (Tysabri) for Crohn's Disease

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA today approved natalizumab (Tysabri), the star-crossed multiple sclerosis agent, for refractory moderate-to- severe Crohn's disease showing evidence of inflammation.

High Normal ALT Limit Lowered for Male Adolescents

SYDNEY, Australia -- The upper limit of normal for the ALT liver enzyme in adolescent males has been too high, said researchers here.

ACG: Weight Gain with Infliximab in Crohn's Disease Confirmed but Not Explained

PHILADELPHIA -- Unexplained weight gain in patients with Crohn's disease treated with infliximab remains a mystery, according to investigators in a small study reported here.

Early Swimming Increases Diarrhea Risk For Babies

NEUHERBERG, Germany -- Babies taken swimming in public pools in the first year of life have an increased risk of diarrhea, researchers here said.

AANP: Treatment for IBS Includes Education, Reassurance, and Medication

INDIANAPOLIS -- Although the recent withdrawal of tegaserod from the market has left a hole in the options available to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), there are still many available.

AGS: Geriatricians Go Slow with Newer Chronic Constipation Therapies

SEATTLE -- Few geriatricians appear willing to try newer medications to treat chronic constipation in older adults, an informal survey here showed.

Heart Risk Prompts FDA to Pull IBS Agent Tegaserod (Zelnorm)

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA said today that Novartis has halted sales of tegaserod (Zelnorm), its agent for irritable bowel syndrome and constipation, following suggestions of a small increase in ischemic events, including angina and stroke, in those taking the drug.

ASCO GI: Avastin Gives No Survival Advantage in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

ORLANDO -- The addition of Avastin (bevacizumab) to Gemzar (gemcitabine) did not improve survival of advanced pancreatic cancer in a randomized trial, researchers here reported.

Acute Diverticulitis Growing More Common in Younger Patients

BALTIMORE -- Acute diverticulitis is not as rare an occurrence in younger adults as commonly believed, particularly for obese men.

Tysabri (Natalizumab) Allowed Back to Market with Restrictions

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The FDA has cleared the way for Tysabri (natalizumab), the multiple sclerosis drug, to go back on the market but under a special restricted distribution program.

Gastroesophageal Reflux in Women Parallels Weight Gain

BOSTON 芒鈧€� Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease increase progressively with increasing body mass indices, even among normal-weight women, according to data from the Nurses' Health Study.

DDW: Constipation Drug Seen Safe and Effective for Long Term Use in Elderly

Los Angeles 芒鈧€� The new medication Amitiza (lubiprostone) is safe and effective as long-term therapy for chronic constipation in older patients, researchers reported here. Results were at least as good in seniors as in the more general populations studied earlier.

ACP: A Look at What Works in Chronic Constipation

PHILADELPHIA, April 7 - New drug therapies are coming on the market to treat chronic constipation, but it is instructive to examine some of the older approaches and therapies to see what works and what doesn't.

ACP: Causes of Constipation and Tips for Office Evaluation

PHILADELPHIA - Patients frequently complain of constipation to their physicians, but they and the doctors may be speaking at cross purposes. In a survey of patients and specialist and resident physicians, 50% of the time patient responses disagreed with physicians' answers about what is constipation.

FDA Warns About Risks of Throat-Numbing Spray

ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Veterans Health Administration has halted the use of benzocaine sprays to numb mucous membranes in the mouth and throat, prompting the FDA to reissue warnings about the risk of methemoglobinemia.

Some NSAIDS Safe in Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's -- Sometimes

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease can use some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs safely, particularly selective cyclooxygenase inhibitors, at least some of the time, according to two studies.

Acetaminophen Is Leading Cause of Acute Liver Failure

SEATTLE - Deliberate or inadvertent overdosing with acetaminophen (Tylenol and generics) is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States, researchers reported.

Short-Term Use of High-Dose Ibuprofen Linked to GI Bleeding

HAMILTON, Ontario - Taking high doses of Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen) even for a few days can significantly increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, researchers reported today.

Cleansing the Bowel for Colonoscopy May Harm the Kidneys

NEW YORK - Oral sodium phosphate solutions are great at cleaning out the bowel prior to colonoscopy, but in some patients these powerful purgatives can also do a serious number on the kidneys, caution Columbia researchers.

IBD Patients Prone to Other Autoimmune or Inflammatory Disorders

PHILADELPHIA-Patients with the inflammatory bowel disorders ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are significantly more likely to suffer from other conditions with an inflammatory or autoimmune basis, said researchers in two separate studies.

Rare Complication Leaves Gastric Bypass Patients Almost Disabled

ROCHESTER, Minn.-A rare complication of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is hyperfunction of insulin-producing beta cells, which causes potentially life-threatening neuroglycopenia, say Mayo clinicians.

Swimming After a Fourth Cookout? Maybe Not

LITTLE FALLS, N.J.-It turns out mothers were giving sound advice when they told their children to avoid swimming right after eating, but not for the reasons they thought.

Colonoscopy Patients Put at Infection Risk

MONROEVILLE, Pa.-About 200 patients who underwent colonoscopy at a Pittsburgh-area hospital were urged to undergo hepatitis and HIV testing because the colonoscopes were improperly disinfected.

For How Long is the Hepatitis B Vaccine Effective?

A study of native Alaskans published in the Annals of Internal Medicine determined that vaccine-conferred immunity to hepatitis B virus persists on average about fifteen years after vaccination. The study has implications for determining effectiveness and duration of vaccine protection and possible need for booster shots.