Stool transplantation is a form of treatment that allows the transfer of feces from a healthy person to another with bowel-related diseases, especially in cases of pseudomembranous colitis caused by infection with Clostridium difficile bacteria , and by inflammatory bowel disease, such as the disease of Crohn's disease, being also a promise in the treatment of other diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, obesity and even autism, for example.
The goal of fecal transplantation is to regulate the intestinal microbiota, which is the set of innumerable bacteria that live naturally in the intestine. It is important that this microbiota is healthy through a high fiber diet and avoiding the use of antibiotics unnecessarily, since it influences not only intestinal health, but can have effects on the development of immune, metabolic and neurological diseases.
Learn what the causes are and how to avoid this imbalance in the intestinal flora in intestinal dysbiosis.
In Brazil, the first record of fecal transplantation was performed in 2013, at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in São Paulo. Since then, it has been increasingly shown that fecal transplantation may be useful for the treatment of several diseases, such as:
1. Pseudomembranous colitis
It is the main indication for fecal transplantation and is characterized by intestinal inflammation and infection by the bacterium Clostridium difficile, which mainly infects people hospitalized with antibiotics, as it takes advantage of the elimination of healthy intestinal bacteria to settle.
The main symptoms of pseudomembranous colitis are fever, abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea, and their treatment is usually done with antibiotics such as Metronidazole or Vancomycin. However, in cases where the bacterium is resistant, fecal transplantation is proven effective in achieving rapid rebalance of intestinal flora and elimination of infection.
Learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of pseudomembranous colitis.
2. Inflammatory bowel disease
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the main forms of inflammatory bowel disease, and although it is not known exactly what causes them, it is known that, in addition to the influence of the immune system, there may be action of unhealthy bacteria in the gut for the development of these diseases.
Thus, performing stool transplantation may be effective in improving or even causing total remission of Crohn's disease, especially severe or difficult to treat cases.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome seems to have several causes, such as changes in the intestinal nervous system, food sensitivity, genetics and the psychological state, however, it has been shown that, increasingly, the intestinal flora influences its presence.
Thus, some current tests have shown that fecal transplantation is very promising for an effective treatment of this syndrome, although more tests are still needed to confirm the possibility of a cure.
4. Obesity and other changes in metabolism
It is known that the intestinal flora can be altered in obese people, and there are indications that these bacteria modify the way the organism uses the energy coming from the food, and, in this way, it is possible that this may be one of the causes of the lose weight.
Thus, studies have observed that it may be possible to treat both obesity and other metabolic syndrome changes, such as hypertension, insulin resistance, increased glycemia, cholesterol and elevated triglycerides, with fecal transplantation. studies to prove how this treatment should be and for whom it is indicated.
In addition, it should be remembered that a diet rich in sugar and fat, and low in fiber, is one of the main causes of deregulation of the intestinal flora and the survival of harmful bacteria, and therefore it is no use to do a fecal transplant if there is no diet that favors the survival of good bacteria.
5. Autism
It was observed in a scientific study that patients with autism who received the fecal transplant had an improvement of the symptoms, however, still more studies are necessary to conclude that there is indeed a connection and an influence of this procedure for the treatment of autism.
6. Neurological diseases
Another promising function of fecal transplantation is the possibility of treating and reducing the symptoms of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, myoclonic dystonia and Parkinson's disease, as an important link between intestinal flora and immune and cerebral functions has been observed.
Other possible utilities
In addition to the aforementioned diseases, fecal transplantation has been studied in the treatment and control of other diseases, such as chronic hepatitis, hepatic encephalopathy, immune hematological diseases such as thrombocytopenic purpura, and in the treatment of generalized infections caused by resistant bacteria.
So even though fecal therapy has been in medicine for many years, discoveries of its real potential for health are still recent, and medical studies still need to prove all these promises.
How is the transplant done?
Fecal transplantation is done by introducing the donor's healthy stool into the patient. For this, it is necessary to collect about 50 g of feces from the donor, which should be analyzed to make sure they do not have the bacterium Clostridium difficile or other parasites.
The stool is then diluted in saline and placed in the patient's gut via a nasogastric tube, rectal enema, endoscopy, or colonoscopy, and one or more doses may be required, depending on the disease and the severity of the intestinal inflammation.
Usually, the procedure is quick and does not feel any kind of pain or discomfort.
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