Octreotide Health Dictionary

Synthetic versions of the hormone somatostatin that acts on the pituitary gland, controlling the release of growth hormone.

These drugs are used to treat acromegaly and symptoms associated with some other hormone-secreting tumours (particularly in carcinoid syndrome).

Octreotide is a common somatostatin analogue.... somatostatin analogues

dilated veins in the lower oesophagus due to *portal hypertension. Varices have a high risk of bleeding, resulting in life-threatening *haematemesis. Bleeding may be arrested by band ligation (or banding): an endoscopic technique in which rubber bands are applied to the base of a bleeding varix. Injection of sclerosants into bleeding varices is an older technique not now widely used. Failure to stop variceal bleeding at endoscopy may require the insertion of a Sengstaken-Blakemore tube (a compression balloon). Nonendoscopic treatments for variceal bleeding include antibiotics and vasoactive agents (such as *terlipressin or octreotide).... oesophageal varices

(growth-hormone-release inhibiting hormone) a hormone produced by the hypothalamus and some extraneural tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas (see islets of Langerhans), that acts to inhibit the secretion of many hormones. For example, in the pituitary gland it inhibits the release of *growth hormone (somatotrophin) and in the pancreas it suppresses secretion of insulin and glucagon. Somatostatin analogues are used to treat *acromegaly (caused by overproduction of growth hormone) and to relieve the symptoms caused by hormone-secreting neuroendocrine tumours, including *carcinoid tumours. They include lanreotide (also licensed for the treatment of thyroid tumours) and octreotide (also used to reduce vomiting in palliative care and to treat *oesophageal varices); gastrointestinal upsets (e.g. nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhoea) are the most common side-effects.... somatostatin