Changes

'''Antibiotic responsive diarrhoea (ARD)''' used to be termed as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).  It is a sign of an underlying disease rather than a diagnosis.  The aetiology and pathogenesis of this disease is unknown.  Few studies have documented the scale of increase in bacterial numbers or whether the growth is responsible for the clinical signs.

'''Antibiotic responsive diarrhoea (ARD)''' used to be termed as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).  It is a sign of an underlying disease rather than a diagnosis.  The aetiology and pathogenesis of this disease is unknown.  Few studies have documented the scale of increase in bacterial numbers or whether the growth is responsible for the clinical signs.

ARD can be claasified as '''idiopathic''' or '''secondary'''.  In cases of idiopathic ARD, the only consistent finding is response and remission on antimicrobial therapy.  In contrast, there is usually an underlying intestinal disease in cases of secondary ARD.  This includes diseases causing:

ARD can be claasified as '''idiopathic''' or '''secondary'''.  In cases of idiopathic ARD, the only consistent finding is response and remission on antimicrobial therapy.  In contrast, there is usually an underlying intestinal disease in cases of secondary ARD.  Diseases which affect any of the following functions of the intestines can cause secondary ARD:

*decreased gastric acid production

*decreased gastric acid production

*increased small intestinal substrate

*increased small intestinal substrate