Methylcellulose Health Dictionary

Initial treatment of acute DIARRHOEA is to prevent or correct the loss of ?uid and ELECTROLYTES from the body. This is a priority especially in infants and elderly people. Rehydration can be achieved orally or, in severe cases, by urgent admission to hospital for the replacement of ?uid and electrolytes.

For adults with acute diarrhoea, short-term symptomatic treatment can be achieved with antimotility drugs such as codeine phosphate, co-phenotrope or loperamide hydrochloride. Adsorbent drugs, for example, KAOLIN, should not be used in acute diarrhoea, but bulk-forming drugs – ispaghula or methylcellulose

– can help to control the consistency of faeces in patients with ileostomies and colostomies (see ILEOSTOMY; COLOSTOMY), or those with diarrhoea caused by DIVERTICULAR DISEASE.

Irritable bowel syndrome, malabsorption syndrom, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and diverticular disease are often accompanied by diarrhoea; for more information on these conditions, see under separate entries.

ANTIBIOTICS may sometimes cause diarrhoea and this side-e?ect should be borne in mind when the cause of the condition is being investigated.... antidiarrhoeal treatments

The presence of diverticula (see DIVERTICULUM) or sacs in the large intestine. Such diverticula are not uncommon over the age of 40, increasing with age until over the age of 70 they may be present in one-third to one-half of the population. They mostly occur in the lower part of the COLON, and are predominantly due to muscular hyperactivity of the bowel forcing the lining of the bowel through weak points in the bowel wall, just as the inner tube of a pneumatic tyre bulges through a defective tyre. There is increasing evidence that the low-residue diet of western civilisation is a contributory cause. The condition may or may not produce symptoms. If it does, these consist of disturbance of the normal bowel function and pain in the left side in the lower abdomen. If diverticulosis is causing symptoms, treatment consists of a high-residue diet (see CONSTIPATION) and an AGAR or METHYLCELLULOSE preparation.... diverticulosis

(IBS) A combination of intermittent abdominal pain and constipation, diarrhoea, or bouts of each, that occurs in the absence of other diagnosed disease. affects about 10–20 per cent of adults; it is twice as common in women as in men, usually beginning in early or middle adulthood. It is usually recurrent throughout life but is unlikely to lead to complications.

Symptoms include intermittent cramplike pain in the abdomen, abdominal distension, often on the left side, transient relief of pain by bowel movement or passing wind, sense of incomplete evacuation of the bowels, and excessive wind. Anxiety and stress tend to exacerbate the condition.

If constipation is the main problem, a high-fibre diet or bulk-forming agents, such as bran or methylcellulose, may be helpful.

Short courses of antidiarrhoeal drugs may be given for persistent diarrhoea.

Antispasmodic drugs may be prescribed to relieve muscular spasm.

Hypnosis, psychotherapy, and counselling have proved effective in some cases.... irritable bowel syndrome

n. a drug used to stimulate or increase the frequency of bowel evacuation (also called a cathartic or purgative), or to encourage the passage of a softer or bulkier stool. The common laxatives are the stimulants (e.g. *bisacodyl, *senna and its derivatives); osmotic laxatives (e.g. magnesium salts, *lactulose); and *methylcellulose, *ispaghula husk, and other bulking agents.... laxative