Drug Interactions in Gastroenterology

The risk of clinically significant drug interaction rises when a patient increases his intake of medication. While drug interaction can be a prominent cause of illness, in many cases, it can be avoided with proper knowledge and care. This text provides a concise yet comprehensive review of common drug interactions in gastroenterology.

The book begins with a preliminary overview of GI drugs, focusing on legal aspects of drug use, clinical research and regulatory review, and drug development. The next section goes over the basic pharmacology of GI drugs, specifically profiling antisecretory drugs, motility drugs, mucosal protective agents, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs. The third section of the text reviews important aspects of drug interaction; topics covered in this section include the different types of drug interactions, adverse drug reactions and interactions, enzymes and transporters involved in drug interactions, pharmacogenomics, drug-herbal interactions, drug-food interactions, and ways to avoid drug interactions altogether.

The book moves on to examine comorbidity and digestive diseases that can result from drug interactions, with particular emphasis on infections, cardiorespiratory disorders, renal insufficiency, IBS, metabolic disorders, and CNS disorders. This section also discusses the influence of age on drug interactions. The final section spotlights comedication that can be used to mitigate disorders caused by drug interactions, specifically reviewing comedication used to treat acid-related disorders, intestinal inflammation, liver disorders, pancreato-biliary disorders, and motility disorders. The text also includes over 100 high-yield illustrations, photographs, and tables.

Marko Bani¿, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Dubrava, University of Zagreb and University of Rijeka, Croatia.

Damir Erceg, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Research, Srebrnjak, Children's Hospital, Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb and University, Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Osijek.