Each month, the CDI team rounds up some of the most prominent #GIcommunity research, news, and trends and highlights how they impact functional GI diagnostics and treatment of patients worldwide.
This month we explore articles on gastroparesis, COVID-19’s impact on patients with functional GI issues, and advances in identifying the cause(s) of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Spreading Awareness During Gastroparesis Awareness Month
Gastroparesis is a chronic and long-term gastrointestinal disorder that impacts an estimated 5 million individuals in the US alone. In recognition of August as Gastroparesis Awareness Month by the International Foundation for GI Disorders (IFFGD), Healio Gastroenterology spoke with Thomas Abell, MD, University of Louisville Jewish Hospital Outpatient Care Center, regarding the known facts about gastroparesis (GP) and what future research is needed to inform care in this functional GI condition.
A Gut-Wrenching Pandemic for Patients with Functional GI Issues
MedPage Today reports on a retrospective study of patients by researchers at Standford University School of Medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers found that patients with three common functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders (FGIMD), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroparesis (GP), and functional dyspepsia (FD), reported more GI complaints, medication use, and healthcare utilization during COVID-19 than in the six months prior. However, they also noted that COVID-19 did not necessarily tie directly to symptoms and that perhaps lifestyle changes during the pandemic drove the increase in symptoms.
Solving the Mystery of IBS
Personal Health columnist and best-selling author Jane Brody writes in The New York Times how medical experts and researchers are starting to “untangle the biological underpinnings” of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a functional gastrointestinal disorder with multiple underlying etiologies. Brody discusses recent research by Dr. Marc E. Rothenberg that links symptoms of IBS with a gastrointestinal infection. She goes on to explore additional details on IBS, including common symptoms, therapies, and treatments.
Breath-Based VOCs in Current Gastrointestinal Research
Iron deficiency affects up to 25% of people, yet prescribed iron supplements can cause significant gastrointestinal side effects. In a guest blog post for Owlstone Medical, Sarah Bloor from CDI’s UK joint partner Functional Gut Diagnostics discusses the collaborative clinical study that aims to investigate whether methane is the cause of oral iron-induced constipation.
