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Treatment of chronic constipation with lactulose syrup: results of a double-blind study.

1968; BMJ; Volume: 9; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1136/gut.9.1.84

1468-3288

A. Wesselius-De Casparis, S Braadbaart, G E Bergh-Bohlken, Mladen Mimica,

Helicobacter pylori-related gastroenterology studies

Although correction of faulty bowel habits and a change in dietary regimen is helpful in many cases of constipation, there remains a group of patients who cannot easily accept the prescribed regimen, or in whom no desired effect is obtained.It is here that there is a need for effective bowel regulation without the use of drastic laxatives.Because prolonged treatment of what is essentially a harmless disease may be required, a bowel regulator must be carefully chosen.It should have a gentle effect, without any systemic action (presumably therefore not absorbed), no adverse effects such as cramps or salt depletion, and no contraindications, and it must be neither toxic nor habit forming.Since lactulosel, first studied by Mayerhofer and Petuely (1959), largely meets these requirements, we have carried out a double-blind study of the effect of lactulose in patients with severe constipation.Lactulose, ,B-galactosido-fructose, is a synthetic disaccharide which is not digested in the small intestine since the specific disaccharidase is lacking (Dahlqvist and Gryboski, 1965).It passes un- changed into the colon where it serves as an energy source for the carbohydrate-splitting bacteria, predominantly Lactobacillus acidophilus and L.