Chronic blood loss may lead to iron deficiency as a cause for anemia, particularly microcytic anemia (small red blood cells), which can be evaluated with a serum ferritin, iron, total iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation. Anemia may be due to a complication of treatment from azathioprine, which can cause low blood counts, or sulfasalazine, which can result in folate deficiency. Thiopurine metabolites (from azathioprine) and a folate level can help.UC may cause high levels of inflammation throughout the body, which may be quantified with serum inflammatory markers, such as CRP and ESR. However, elevated inflammatory markers are not specific for UC and elevations are commonly seen in other conditions, including infection. In addition, inflammatory markers are not uniformly elevated in people with ulcerative colitis. Twenty five percent of individuals with confirmed inflammation on endoscopic evaluation have a normal CRP level. Serum albumin may also be low related to inflammation, in addition to loss of protein in the GI tract associated with bleeding and colitis. Low serum levels of vitamin D are associated with UC, although the significance of this finding is unclear.Specific antibody markers may be elevated in ulcerative colitis. Specifically, perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA) are found in 70 percent of cases of UC. Antibodies against Saccharomyces cerevisiae may be present, but are more often positive in Crohns disease compared with ulcerative colitis.
Fair response with partial improvement was noted in 37% of male patients and 34% of female patients. No response was reported in 10% of male and 8% of female IBS patients. There were few side effects noted with 8% reporting dry mouth. Dosages were reduced in patients who reported drowsiness (10%) as well as 1 patient who reported visual disturbance. Otherwise, the formulation was well tolerated. Donnatal also is a common component of a GI cocktail used in emergency rooms. In 1976, Donnatal was one of the 25 most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S. It has since been displaced by H2 antagonists and proton pump inhibitors, which are more effective and lack many of the adverse effects of phenobarbital.A four-week multicenter, randomized placebo-controlled trial by Turner et al. compared Donnatal® tablets (hyoscyamine sulfate - 0.1037 mg; atropine sulfate - 0.0194 mg; scopolamine hydrobromide - 0.0065 mg and phenobarbital - 16.2 mg) to belladonna alkaloids alone (hyoscyamine sulfate - 0.1037 mg; atropine sulfate - 0.0194 mg; scopolamine hydrobromide - 0.0065 mg), phenobarbital alone (16.2 mg) and placebo. The intent-to-treat population of 204 IBS patients was evaluated for pain (cramping), nighttime and daytime pain severity, bowel movement frequency, and with a clinician global evaluation of improvement in response to treatment. The response for improvement of pain was mixed for all groups after 1 day.