Treatment of severe cryptosporidium-related diarrhea with octreotide in a patient with AIDS.
Cryptosporidiosis commonly causes severe diarrhea in immunosuppressed patients. There currently are no antiparasitic drugs consistently effective for this infection. This case describes a 26-year-old hemophiliac patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and cryptosporidiosis whose diarrhea improved with continuous intravenous administration of a long-acting somatostatin analog, octreotide. Somatostatin has a variety of inhibitory effects on gastrointestinal hormones as well as a possible nonspecific effect on gastrointestinal mucosal fluid and electrolyte secretion. The somatostatin analog should be considered for patients with secretory diarrhea refractory to other forms of therapy.
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D000328:Adult; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015282:Octreotide; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D013004:Somatostatin; D015282:Octreotide