Fresh stools help irritable bowels

Haukeland University HospitalHaukeland University Hospital.Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB scanpix

Nearly eight out of ten patients with irritable bowel syndrome became better with one dose of healthy stools according to a study at Haukeland University Hospital.

 

‘’All reported major ailments.The difference between before and after was very big on all the symptoms,” said Tarek Mazzawi of the medical department at Bergens Tidende newspaper.

Patients received fresh stool from a family member,which was further diluted with saline, silt and then fed into the patient’s intestine.

The study included only 13 patients. Of these, between 70 and 80% improved after just one treatment. Half a year later, 65% still felt better.

The result is so promising that the hospital is now undergoing a major study of 100 patients with half receiving placebo treatment.

Such a study has already been done at the University Hospital Nord-Norge in Harstad. After three months, 65% had a good effect in the group who received faeces from a healthy donor,compared with 43% in the placebo control group.

In Norway, up to 25% of the population have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).These are affected by varying degrees of abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation.For some, the symptoms are so bad that they have to stop working.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today