Oral disodium cromoglycate treatment on irritable bowel syndrome: an open study on 101 subjects with diarrheic type.

Several studies on the usefulness of oral disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) in the treatment of systemic adverse reaction to foods have been performed, with less attention to gastroenterological symptoms. In the present study, we selected 101 patients with diarrheic-type irritable bowel syndrome which improved after an elimination diet and worsened after a challenge with specific food(s). All patients were then tested for 48 commercial alimentary antigens by skin prick test (SPT) and underwent 8 wk of oral DSCG (500 mg three times a day), and the results were evaluated by means of a semiquantitative subjective and objective score. We observed an improvement of the symptoms in 67% of the 74 SPT-positive patients, whereas only 41% of the 27 SPT-negative patients showed a positive response to DSCG (p less than 0.05). These data confirm the protective role of DSCG in food-dependent diarrheic-type irritable bowel syndrome with food allergy features.