Effect of bismuth subsalicylate on chronic diarrhea in childhood: a preliminary report.

Stools collected from 39 infants and children with chronic nonspecific diarrhea and from 10 age-matched controls were examined for bile acid content with use of gas-liquid chromatography. Values were correlated with stool color. Mean concentration of bile acids in green stools (7.7 +/- 1.52 mg/g dry weight) was significantly higher than that in brown stools (3.76 +/- 0.7 mg/g dry weight) and in control stools (1.42 +/- 0.35 mg/g dry weight). In patients with green diarrhea, treatments with cholestyramine and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) were equally effective in decreasing stool frequency, with the latter being more effective in decreasing water content. Patients with brown stools had an insignificant response to therapy.