title: [Some practical questions on chronic stipsis treatment with prucalopride].
abstract: Chronic constipation is a frequent pathological condition bearing relevant socioeconomic burdens, mainly due to uncertain management and unsatisfactory response to traditional laxatives. Prucalopride is a novel enterokinetic drug, that has been demonstrated to improve bowel functions and relieve a broad spectrum of digestive symptoms in patients with severe chronic constipation who had failed to respond to various traditional laxatives. In this paper we discussed the practical aspects of chronic constipation treatment, in particular focusing on some questions about the practical use of prucalopride. Prucalopride is a potent, selective, high-affinity agonist of the 5-HT4 receptors widely expressed in the gastrointestinal tract. Unlike other 5-HT4 agonists, such as cisapride and tegaserod, it is devoid of adverse cardiovascular effects. Furthermore, it is characterized by a low potential for interactions with other drugs, due to its pharmacokinetic characteristics. Prucalopride was approved, in 2009, by the European Medicines Agency for the symptomatic treatment of chronic constipation in women in whom laxatives fail to provide adequate relief, however, there are ongoing studies to extend the use of the drug even to males.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italia - v.stanghellini@unibo.it.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bellacosa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cogliandro
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cremon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Giorgio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbara
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stanghellini
mesh_terms: D001572:Benzofurans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003248:Constipation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003672:Defecation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D054368:Laxatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D058828:Serotonin 5-HT4 Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D054368:Laxatives; D058828:Serotonin 5-HT4 Receptor Agonists; C406662:prucalopride