Gastrointestinal Function in Diabetes Mellitus

Gastrointestinal function represents an important, and hitherto inappropriately neglected, aspect of diabetes management. Disordered gastrointestinal motor and sensory function occurs frequently in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and may be associated with gastrointestinal symptoms that adversely affect quality of life. During the last two decades there has been a rapid expansion in knowledge in this area. It is now recognised that upper gastrointestinal motility is pivotal to the regulation of postprandial blood glucose concentrations in both health and patients with diabetes. This book is the first of its kind and was stimulated by the need to consolidate these recent advances, which dictate that a knowledge of gastroenterology as it relates to diabetes is now required of the clinician/diabetologist.

• Features an organ-specific overview of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of disordered gastrointestinal (including hepatobiliary and pancreatic) function in diabetes mellitus

• Contains guidelines for the clinician, diabetologist and gastroenterologist for both diagnosis and management.

• Includes a comprehensive description of the relation between gastrointestinal function, gastrointestinal hormones, autonomic nerve function and glycaemic control in animal models.

• Covers the development of new treatment options, particularly those targeted at the reduction of postprandial hyperglycaemia, to optimise glycaemic control.

Target audience: gastroenterologists, diabetologists, specialist nurses and clinical researchers.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Lisbeth A Selby, M.D.(University of Kentucky College of Medicine)
Description:This book is a compilation of known gastrointestinal function derangements in diabetes mellitus (DM). A particular strength of this book that, in many instances, the normal GI physiology is reviewed prior to the description of the abnormalities in DM.
Purpose:The authors rightly assert that GI function has been inappropriately neglected, considering that it is intimately connected with glycemic control, and aim to rectify the situation by providing an impressive review of the data. Given the vast and ever increasing numbers of diabetics, this is a worthy objective. This book meets the authors' objectives of providing a comprehensive, concise review of the knowledge of GI function in the setting of DM.
Audience:The book is largely targeted to clinicians and clinical researchers, according to the authors. It is targeted appropriately to this audience. It will be useful for both gastroenterologists and the endocrinologists. The contributors are among the world's most respected authorities.
Features:The book begins with the epidemiology of gut symptoms in DM, reviews the animal data and then reviews each major division of the digestive system separately. A nice inclusion is a separate chapter on the relation between gut function and glycemic control. The organization of the book is excellent.
Assessment:I see numerous patients with diabetes and GI symptoms and will find myself turning again and again to this reference for thoughts on how to manage these patients. I am not aware of a such an extensive compilation of information on gut function in DM as this book.