Abdominal Pain News and Research

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Abdominal pain is traditionally described by its chronicity (acute or chronic), its progression over time, its nature (sharp, dull, colicky), its distribution (by various methods, such as abdominal quadrant (left upper quadrant, left lower quadrant, right upper quadrant, right lower quadrant) or other methods that divide the abdomen into nine sections), and by characterization of the factors that make it worse, or alleviate it.

Medication errors among adults and children with cancer in the outpatient setting common

Seven percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs in outpatient clinics or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications, according to a new study supported in part by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality through its Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics program.

1 Jan 2009

Antioxidant supplementation effective in relieving pain in chronic pancreatitis

Antioxidant supplementation was found to be effective in relieving pain and reducing levels of oxidative stress in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), reports a new study in Gastroenterology.

1 Jan 2009

New screening test for chronic abdominal pain

Evaluation of chronic abdominal pain of luminal etiology is a challenging problem for the primary care physicians and gastroenterologists.

30 Dec 2008

AstraZeneca submits sNDA for NEXIUM (esomeprazole magnesium)

AstraZeneca has announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for NEXIUM(R) (esomeprazole magnesium) to seek approval for the short-term (up to 6 weeks) treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in pediatric patients ages 0 to 1 year old.

21 Dec 2008

FDA approves Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) to prevent gastrointestinal stromal tumor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) for a new indication – keeping cancer from growing in patients following surgical removal of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor or GIST.

21 Dec 2008

Updated guidelines for irritable bowel syndrome

Although irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists, it's also one of the most misunderstood.

18 Dec 2008

Expert says gross over-reaction to peanuts to blame for 'nut hysteria'

A Professor at Harvard Medical School suggests many people today are over-reacting to the threat of peanut allergies in children.

17 Dec 2008

Magnets in toys pose serious health risks

While the danger of magnets for children is increasingly recognized, they don't receive treatment for swallowing them as quickly as needed, and parents don't receive sufficient warning on toys, according to a new study.

10 Dec 2008

Merck Serono's Kuvan receives European marketing authorization

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Kuvan(R) for the treatment of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) in phenylketonuria (PKU) or BH4 deficient patients.

10 Dec 2008

Amylin, Lilly update on FDA review of Byetta (exenatide) injection monotherapy submission

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company have announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is continuing with its review of the regulatory application for use of Byetta (exenatide) injection as stand-alone therapy (monotherapy) in people with type 2 diabetes who are not achieving acceptable blood sugar control.

8 Dec 2008

Alarm over high lead contamination of Esperance sea food

Alarm over high lead contamination of Esperance sea food. The presence of high concentrations of lead found in fish in a part of Western Australia has prompted a warning to people living in the Esperance area to avoid eating some local seafood.

8 Dec 2008

FDA strengthens safety of Sucraid (sacrosidase) oral solution

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued an expedited approval of a supplemental application that allows for changes in the manufacturing of Sucraid (sacrosidase) Oral Solution.

20 Nov 2008

Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) shown to significantly reduce major cardiovascular events

New data from the JUPITER study demonstrated that Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) 20 mg significantly reduced major cardiovascular (CV) events (defined in this study as the combined risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina, or death from CV causes) by a dramatic 44% compared to placebo (p<0.001) among men and women with elevated hsCRP but low to normal cholesterol levels.

10 Nov 2008

10 symptoms that should never be ignored

Not every ache and pain merits a quick trip to the doctor -- but some do.

6 Nov 2008

Pfizer's Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) receives FDA approval for the treatment of overactive bladder

Pfizer Inc has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) extended release tablets for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.

2 Nov 2008

Colonoscopy prep harder on women than men

Colonoscopy is especially important for women, because they're more likely to have polyps or lesions deeper in the colon. Only colonoscopy examines the entire length of the colon. Emptying the contents of the colon - a step called bowel prep - is essential to a successful colonoscopy. But there's some reason to believe that bowel prep for a colonoscopy is harder for women than for men, reports the November 2008 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch.

27 Oct 2008

Outlook for Crohn's disease improves due to new therapies

A study led by Mayo Clinic has found that infliximab (Remicade) administered alone (monotherapy) or in combination with azathioprine is a more effective treatment for patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease than azathioprine alone.

6 Oct 2008

Burst appendix or stomach flu?

A young child arrives at the emergency room after several days of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea and is sent home with a diagnosis of viral gastritis and treatment for the symptoms. The child seems better for a while, only to return to the ER with worse symptoms and a ruptured appendix, a life-threatening complication of appendicitis.

6 Oct 2008

Woman dies after being scratched by a wild rat

As a rule leptospirosis victims experience severe headaches and flu-like symptoms but the severe form which is Weil's disease, causes jaundice and liver damage, and can be fatal - but it usually only affects 10% of leptospirosis victims.

15 Sep 2008

FDA approves DNA test to measure hepatitis B viral load

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first nucleic acid test for hepatitis B virus (HBV) that measures the amount of viral DNA (viral load) in a patient's blood. Assessing a patient's viral load provides health care professionals with a highly sensitive method for gauging the progress of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HBV infections.

5 Sep 2008