Nutrition Support in Short Bowel Syndrome

Abstract

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a clinical case which is characterized with, malabsorption, malnutrition, diarrhea, steatore, weight loss, fluid and electrolyte loss, which develops after small intestine resection. The progress and treatment of the disease depends on the adaptation of the remaining intestine rather than the length of the remaining intestine segment, and this process requires the control of diarrhea. To provide intestinal adaptation, enteral nutrition has great importance. During the early stages of the disease, the patients who are dependent on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) should be helped to start to early EN. Even though some of the patient can pass to a nutrition program which is very close to normal nutrition after EN, some other part of the patients may remain dependent on TPN during their life-long. Long-term complications of TPN makes the treatment more difficult. The effects of some specific nutritional agents on the disease are currently under investigation. The treatment of the disease involves a long time period and requires a multidisciplinary approach.