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Antidiarrheal therapy

Prospects for new agents

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Abstract

Successful treatment of severe diarrhea has traditionally relied upon opiates or opiate derivatives. Recent advances in our understanding of intestinal fluid and electrolyte absorption have provided the opportunity to develop therapeutic agents specific for various points in the secretory and absorptive process. Present and proposed antidiarrheal agents, in addition to antimotility activity, will be capable of stimulating intestinal fluid absorption, inhibiting intestinal fluid secretion, or both. The mechanism(s) of action and clinical implications for proposed antidiarrheal agents are reviewed.

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  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University, 10032, New York, New York

    Richard N. Fedorak MD (recipient of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Fellowship) & Michael Field MD

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  1. Richard N. Fedorak MD
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  2. Michael Field MD
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Fedorak, R.N., Field, M. Antidiarrheal therapy. Digest Dis Sci 32, 195–205 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01297108

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