Intestinal permeability in strongyloidiasis.

A.L Werneck-Silva,C.A Buchpigue,A.M Sipahi,A.A Laudanna,K Iriya,A.O.M.C Damião

doi:10.1590/s0100-879x2001000300009

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to assess intestinal permeability in patients with infection caused by Strongyloides stercoralis. Twenty-six patients (16 women and 10 men), mean age 45.9, with a diagnosis of strongyloidiasis were evaluated. For comparison, 25 healthy volunteers (18 women and 7 men), mean age 44.9, without digestive disorders or intestinal parasites served as normal controls. Intestinal permeability was measured on the basis of urinary radioactivity levels during the 24 h following oral administration of chromium-labeled ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ((51)Cr-EDTA) expressed as percentage of the ingested dose. The urinary excretion of (51)Cr-EDTA was significantly reduced in patients with strongyloidiasis compared to controls (1.60 +/- 0.74 and 3.10 +/- 1.40, respectively, P = 0.0001). Intestinal permeability is diminished in strongyloidiasis. Abnormalities in mucus secretion and intestinal motility and loss of macromolecules could explain the impaired intestinal permeability.

Highlights

The intestinal epithelium plays a major role in the digestion and absorption of fluids and nutrients and represents an efficient barrier that protects the host from environmental pathogens and antigens [1]
Increased intestinal permeability has been described in inflammatory bowel disease [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11], atopic eczema [12], celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis [13], cystic fibrosis [14,15], alcohol consumption [16], use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [17,18,19,20], and acute infectious diarrhea [12,21]
Strongyloidiasis is a common parasitosis in tropical areas and is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic conditions to hyperinfection in immunocompromised patients [23,24,25,26]

Summary

Introduction

The intestinal epithelium plays a major role in the digestion and absorption of fluids and nutrients and represents an efficient barrier that protects the host from environmental pathogens and antigens [1]. Increased intestinal permeability has been described in inflammatory bowel disease [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11], atopic eczema [12], celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis [13], cystic fibrosis [14,15], alcohol consumption [16], use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [17,18,19,20], and acute infectious diarrhea [12,21]. On the other hand, decreased intestinal permeability has been demonstrated in Blastocystis hominis infection [22]. It colonizes the duodenum and upper jejunum, and usually affects the mucosal

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Conclusion