E-DRUG: Charcoal in diarrhoeal diseases
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(repeat due to bad formatting in previous message;
our apologies)
Dear Dr Auton,
Regarding your query on the use of charcoal in the treatment of
chronic diarrhoea, the WHO/CHD Programme published a book
entitled "The rational use of drugs in the management of acute
diarrhoea in children" in which a chapter is on activated
charcoal (a copy of this book has been sent to you under separate
cover). Here is the abstract of this chapter:
"Although activated charcoal has been used empirically as an
anti-diarrhoeal for many years, there is no clinical evidence
that it shortens the duration of diarrhoea, or that it reduces
the number or volume of stools. Its action as an adsorbent causes
it to bind other drugs, including tetracycline, and digestive
enzymes and intestinal micronutrients, which may be undesirable.
There is thus no rationale for the use of activated charcoal for
the treatment of diarrhoea in children."
I hope you'll find this information useful.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Olivier Fontaine
Medical Officer
Division of Child Health and Development
World Health Organization
E-mail: fontaineo@who.ch
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