title: [Ursodeoxycholic acid: A therapeutic niche in an internist's practice].
abstract: The paper shows more than 40 years' experience with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) used as a drug; during this period it has demonstrated its rather high clinical efficacy. Due to the range of its inherent pleiotropic (choleretic, cytoprotective, immunomodulatory, antiapoptotic, hypocholesterolemic, and litholytic) properties, UDCA has a broad spectrum of therapeutic activity. The paper considers the issues associated with the mechanism of action and with the clinical effects of this bile acid. It gives the results of the most important randomized controlled trials determining currently the evidence base for the efficiency and safety of using UDCA in the clinical picture of visceral diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Propedeutics, Faculty of Therapeutics, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow.
authors.forename: O M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Drapkina
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Propedeutics, Faculty of Therapeutics, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Bueverova
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid