Improving the digestive symptoms of cystic fibrosis
Many people with cystic fibrosis have difficulty in digesting and processing food through their digestive tract, from eating food to passing undigested food as faeces (poo). When undigested food gets stuck in the intestines, it can lead to painful bloating and blockages. A severe form of these blockages leads to a complication called Distal Obstructive Intestinal Syndrome or DIOS. Treatment for the blockages can require unpleasant medicines that add to the symptoms, and sometimes requires surgery. The symptoms and treatments can be very embarrassing and have a big effect on the quality of life of those affected.
How the intestines are affected in cystic fibrosis
The intestines are the long tube that food moves into from the stomach. It is in the intestines that the nutrients are absorbed from our food. The food is moved along the intestines by keeping it watery enough for muscles in the intestines walls to push along. The movement is helped by a thin layer of mucus lining the intestines. In CF, the food in the intestines is less watery and the intestinal mucus becomes thick and sticky, making food harder to move and causing bloating and blockages. More research is urgently needed to understand what happens in the intestines in detail to cause these effects in CF and what can be done to get things back to normal.
What progress has been made so far?
Trust-funded researchers are investigating these symptoms from a clinical and laboratory based perspective. Professor Alan Smyth, Dr Christabella Ng and colleagues at the University of Nottingham have been investigating the best method for studying these symptoms as they happen in people with CF in hospital-based studies. They’ve shown that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods can be used to study these symptoms, as opposed to more invasive and radiation-based methods that are usually used.
“This research helps us understand the mechanisms behind gut symptoms in CF and will help choose suitable drugs and dietary interventions for clinical trials” explained Professor Smyth.
On a cellular level Professor Soraya Shirazi-Beechey at the University of Liverpool is leading a lab-based Strategic Research Centre (SRC) to develop better tolerated and more effective treatments for DIOS. The SRC team have shown that it is possible to enhance the intestinal fluidity using already-licenced drugs. The results provide strong basis for planning of future clinical trials to test the effect of these drugs in treating DIOS in individuals with cystic fibrosis.
“Having a less invasive way of dealing with DIOS would be really life-changing” explained Grace who generously shared her experiences of living with DIOS for the report.
“Digestive problems are a debilitating issue for people with CF and we’re urgently looking for ways to treat and manage these symptoms. We hope the results of the working we’re funding will set the direction for future treatments” said Dr Lucy Allen our Director of Research.
You can read about this research in more detail in our Research in focus report on gut symptoms of cystic fibrosis.
If you can, please consider making a donation today so that we can keep funding the research needed to help people with CF live longer, better quality lives.