Digestive Disease Week 2014
New Probiotic Strains Shown to Effectively Treat Dyspepsia
During the DDW meeting, Ricardo C. Barbuti, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, and colleagues reported the results of their double-blinded, randomized study, which assessed the effect of two previously untested probiotic strains on managing early satiety, epigastric pain, bloating, and nausea associated with dyspepsia.
Many Immunosuppressive Medications Safe for Elderly Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
During the DDW meeting, Jason K. Hou, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, and colleagues reported the results of their cross-sectional study, which indicated that many immunosuppressive medications appear to be safe for elderly patients with IBD, though more long-term studies are needed.
Flexible Dosing Improves Treatment Efficacy of Pancreatic Enzyme Supplementation
Although the optimal dose of pancreatic enzymes depends on dietary factors (eg, dietary fat intake) and individual patient factors (eg, clinical symptoms, remaining pancreatic function), many patients are prescribed a fixed dose to improve medication compliance, and because healthcare providers are not always informed about the need to supplement exocrine insufficiency in a flexible, patient-tailored manner. During the DDW meeting, researchers from the Netherlands reported that patient education on flexible dosing is an important strategy for improving the odds of patients receiving an optimal dose.
