Giardia Lamblia in Patients with IBS - By: bcured

Irritable bowel syndrome is a gastro-intestinal (GI) disorder of unknown etiology often described as a functional bowel problem. The diagnosis of IBS rests on the occurrence of a set of symptoms and the exclusion of other GI pathology. Giardia lamblia is a cosmopolitan parasite with worldwide distribution and the most common protozoan isolated from gastrointestinal tract.
The prevalence of infection varies from 2%-7% in industrialized countries to 40% in tropical/subtropical regions with poor sanitation and hygienic conditions. Giardiasis typically occurs following the ingestion of water or foods contaminated with fecal material containing cysts, and the infective dose may be as low as 10 cysts.
The clinical aspects of giardiasis are largely nonspecific. The infection can be asymptomatic or patients may present with extraintestinal symptoms, such as fever, maculopapular rashes, pulmonary infiltrates, lymphadenopathy, polyarthritis and urticaria. However, the most common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence and weight loss resulting from malabsorption.
Since these symptoms may overlap those of patients with other gastrointestinal disorders, it is not clear when the infection should be suspected. Classically, diagnosis of giardiasis is performed by microscopic examination of stool samples or duodenal biopsies and further methods include immunocromathography and immunofluorescence on stool samples.
There are few studies comparing the diagnostic proficiency of the methods using either stool or duodenal biopsy samples. An important finding is that no symptoms could reliably discriminate patients with giardiasis from those without the parasite. Giardiasis may be present in patients with other gastrointestinal disorders; it seems that symptoms of one disease may overcome/overlap those of the other.
Nevertheless, the prevalence of giardiasis in patients suffering from IBS and dyspepsia can be considered as the cause of 1BS and dyspepsia. Another important finding involves the diagnostic procedures to be taken into account when dealing with G. lamblia infection. Histological examination of duodenal biopsies for G. lamblia was unsuitable due to an unacceptable rate of false negative results.
At the same time, it has been shown that stool examination is as accurate as the direct search of the parasite in the duodenal samples. Consequently, when a skilled microbiologist and appropriate techniques are available, duodenal biopsy seems unnecessary in accurate identification of G. lamblia, thus invasive and expensive tools such as upper gastrointestinal endoscopy could be avoided.
Giardiasis was significantly associated with H pylori infection, possibly reflecting that the two infections share a number of risk factors. This association may have several clinical implications in regard to the transmission mode, the possibility of a synergy in metronidazole resistance, and the experimental evidence of a common pathogenesis scenario, leading to gastrointestinal metaplasia.
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Furthermore, it has shown profound effectiveness as an irritable bowel syndrome treatment method to negate diarrhea. The antispasmodic actions on the intestinal muscles, coupled with the astringent properties and the ability of the extracts to calm the nervous system, creates a pronounced ease of bowel discomfort and quantifiably stops diarrhea.
There is a long history of American doctors administering medicinal plant extracts orally to their patients as IBS treatments and other remedies prior to the advent of modern pharmaceuticals. Several of the extracts in this product for IBS are actually listed in the 8th edition of Useful Drugs, a medical handbook published by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1930.
Today, doctors and scientists have confirmed the substantial IBS treatment value of IBS DropsRx extracts as being stomachic, carminative, and antispasmodic. They have a positive effect on nervous disorders, flatulence and colitis and used for the treatment of IBS. There are few, if any, remedies of greater efficacy in treatment for IBS. To learn more, please go to http://www.naturespharma.org.

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