Antidiarrhoeal agents. Clinical pharmacology and therapeutic use.

Diarrhoea is common and may be disabling, and in developed countries is responsible for more days lost from work than more socially acceptable conditions such as heart disease. Acute diarrhoea in the form of infantile gastroenteritis contributes to the deaths of more children than any other single condition in the world. This review describes the pathophysiological mechanisms and the treatments available for the more common types of diarrhoea in developed countries. Proper treatment depends on an understanding of the underlying pathological abnormality.