A new treatment for patients with short-bowel syndrome. Growth hormone, glutamine, and a modified diet.

What Was Tested

This controlled clinical trial looks at Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over).

The purpose of this study was to initially determine if growth hormone or nutrients, given alone or together, could enhance absorption from the remnant small bowel after massive intestinal resection.

Throughout the study, food of known composition was provided and all stool was collected and analyzed to determine absorption across the remaining bowel.

Why It Was Studied

Patients who undergo extensive resection of the gastrointestinal tract frequently develop malabsorption and require long-term parenteral nutrition.

Who Took Part

The study group was 47 adults.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

The treatment was expanded to 47 adults (25 men, 22 women) with the short-bowel syndrome, dependent on TPN for 6 +/- 1 years.

How the Study Was Run

The effect of a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet (DIET), the amino acid glutamine (GLN) and growth hormone (GH) administered alone or in combination with the other therapies (GH + GLN + DIET) was evaluated.

The average age was 46 +/- 2 years, and the average jejunal-ileal length was 50 +/- 7 cm (median 35 cm) in those with all or a portion of colon and 102 +/- 24 cm (median 102 cm) in those with no colon.

What Was Measured

Patients who undergo extensive resection of the gastrointestinal tract frequently develop malabsorption and require long-term parenteral nutrition.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Diet, Glutamine, Growth Hormone, Intestinal Absorption and Short Bowel Syndrome.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a controlled clinical trial of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) in 47 adults.

Results are reported in around 4 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 1995 (Annals of surgery), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) compound page, all human trials.