gastrointestinal diseases

People who do not have coeliac disease or wheat allergy sometimes reduce their gluten intake because they believe it is the cause of their gastrointestinal symptoms. A study has found that there may be a nocebo effect - negative anticipation of a substance or treatment, the opposite of the placebo effect - on gluten sensitivity in these people, so that the mere thought of ingesting gluten causes more symptoms in those who believe they are sensitive to it. The results are published in the journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Certain intestinal issues, such as constipation, difficulty swallowing, and irritable bowel syndrome, could be early warning signs of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the journal Gut. The study compared tens of thousands of patients from a network of medical records in the United States.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) safety committee (PRAC) has recommended a change to the information on codeine-ibuprofen combination medicines to include "a warning about serious harm, including death, especially when taken for prolonged periods at higher than recommended doses". The PRAC reviewed several cases of renal, gastrointestinal and metabolic toxicity that had been reported in association with cases of abuse and dependence on these drugs.