Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Dietary fat ingestion triggers bile secretion into the gastrointestinal tract. Bile acid malabsorption affects >1% of the population, causing loose stool and other gastrointestinal symptoms. The diagnosis is frequently missed. ⋯ After dietary intervention, there was statistically significant improvement in abdominal pain and nocturnal defecation (0.2% alpha, p=0.001). Improvement in bowel frequency, urgency, flatulence, belching, borborygmi and stool consistency were seen, but did not reach statistical significance (p≤0.004-0.031). Dietary intervention is an effective treatment option for patients with symptomatic bile acid malabsorption and should be routinely considered.
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Observational Study
Statin therapy in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause of death from infection in developed countries. There is evidence of an association between improved survival from infection and statin use. The possible beneficial effects of statins are complicated by the common use of macrolide antibiotics for pneumonia, with current guidance suggesting that concurrent macrolide and statin use is contraindicated. ⋯ In addition, we conducted a survey of doctors and found that knowledge regarding concurrent macrolide and statin use was lacking. These data suggest a potential role of statins in the management of CAP. Further research using high-dose statins is required to assess their safe use in subjects with mild to moderate infections.