title: Beyond pancreatic insufficiency and liver disease in cystic fibrosis.
abstract: Cystic fibrosis is a life shortening hereditary disease, primarily leading to progressive pulmonary infection and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction. Several gastrointestinal complications other than malabsorption can arise during the disease course and with the progressively increasing life span of patients with CF; new and more rare complications are being recognized. We review the literature on gastrointestinal manifestations in CF, excluding the liver and pancreas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We describe the clinical presentation and treatment of more common conditions like gastroesophageal reflux, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, intussusception, meconium ileus, distal intestinal obstruction syndrome, and constipation, and we also discuss what is known on celiac disease, appendicitis, fibrosing colonopathy, inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal cancer.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  • Gastrointestinal complications arise early in the course of the disease and have a severe impact on the quality of life of the patients. What is New: • This review is a concise summary of the current literature on gastrointestinal complications of cystic fibrosis. • We focused on clinical presentation and diagnostic investigations and provide a comprehensive resume of the current treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Universitaire Ziekenhuizen Leuven, Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium. stephanie.demeyer@uzleuven.be.|Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, Leuven, 3000, Belgium. stephanie.demeyer@uzleuven.be.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demeyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, Leuven, 3000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: De Boeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, Leuven, 3000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Witters
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmocology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, Leuven, 3000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Katrien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cosaert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male
keywords: Cystic fibrosis; Diagnosis and treatment; Gastrointestinal complications; Symptoms