Introduction Gastroenteritis is one of the major public health concerns across the globe.1Majowicz SE, Hall G, Scallan E, et al. A common, symptom-based case definition for gastroenteritis. Epidemiology and Infection. 2008;136(7):886-894. The disease particularly acute gastroenteritis is common in children and associated with remarkable risk of morbidity and mortality. According to global statistics, 3 to 5 billion are affected annually with and 1.5 to 2.5 million deaths occur each year. Of note, 12% of mortality occurs among children less than 5 years of age. In addition, it imposes significant burden on the healthcare resources.2Malik OAA. Role of Chow CM, Leung AK, Hon KL. Acute gastroenteritis: from guidelines to real life. Clinical and experimental gastroenterology. 2010;3:97-112. Individuals with gastroenteritis develop inflammation of the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal tract. Bacterial, viral or parasitic infections are presumed to be some of the major causes as enlisted in box 1.2Malik OAA.…
Irritable bowel syndrome: Need for advanced therapeutic options Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) refers to a significantly prevalent functional bowel disorder affecting about 11% of the global population.1Lacy BE, Weiser K, De Lee R. The Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology. 2009;2(4):221-238. 2Canavan C, West J, Card T. The epidemiology of irritable bowel syndrome. Clinical Epidemiology. 2014;6:71-80. Prevalence figures from Asia alone range from 3.7% to 22%.3Rai RR, Dwivedi M, Kumar N. Efficacy and Safety of Drotaverine Hydrochloride in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study. Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology : Official Journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association. 2014;20(6):378-382. In addition to the considerable prevalence, this condition carries a negative impact on the patient’s quality of life as well (despite being a non-life threatening disease).1Lacy BE, Weiser K, De Lee R. The Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology. 2009;2(4):221-238. The patients affected with this…
