Baker E H, Sandle G I
Department of Medicine, Hope Hospital, University of Manchester, Salford, United Kingdom.
Annu Rev Med. 1996;47:127-34. doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.47.1.127.
Laxative abuse is an uncommon but clinically important cause of chronic diarrhea, a condition often associated with other gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as with disturbances in electrolyte and acid-base balance. A high index of suspicion, a detailed history, and the detection of laxative in stool and/or urine will establish the diagnosis once routine laboratory, endoscopic, and radiologic investigations have excluded common causes of chronic diarrhea. Confirmation of the diagnosis may rule out the need for more extensive, invasive, and costly investigations. However, management is frequently difficult owing to the laxative abuser's complex underlying psychopathology.
滥用泻药是慢性腹泻的一个不常见但临床上重要的病因，这种情况常伴有其他胃肠道症状，以及电解质和酸碱平衡紊乱。一旦常规实验室、内镜和放射学检查排除了慢性腹泻的常见病因，高度的怀疑指数、详细的病史以及粪便和/或尿液中泻药的检测将确立诊断。确诊可能排除进行更广泛、侵入性更强且成本更高的检查的必要性。然而，由于泻药滥用者复杂的潜在精神病理学问题，管理往往很困难。
