Habba Syndrome Gall Bladder Malady

Daily-Health-Articles-3: Habba syndrome is a disease characterized by chronic diarrhea, caused due to a dysfunctional but intact gall bladder. This malady gets name from its discoverer Dr. Saad. F. Habba. Dr. Habba, M.D. is a graduate from the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland is a practicing gastroenterologist for the last 30 years. He was Chief of Gasterointestinal Endoscopy at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and is currently in private practice in Summit New Jersey.

The Distinguished Achievement Award was conferred on him for his services by UMDNJ. He has published a lot of books on medicine and is seen on many national and international radio and T.V. Channels, namely the Discovery channels. He was the first to describe and write about the Habba syndrome.

The Habba syndrome is symptomized by chronic diarrhea. Typically there are three or more bowel movements per day. It is watery and rarely associated with a discharge of blood, unless there is a rectal irritation. It occurs usually during daytime. There is no abdominal pain in all the cases.

The Habba syndrome usually causes a lot of urgency in the patient causing him to be constantly in search of a bathroom, the behavior being commonly termed as bathroom mapping. Consequently, the patient gets socially embarrassed for his/her behavior and may also develop low self-esteem. Some patients reduce their diet intake in fear of diarrhea, and this may cause bodily weakness, which may prove fatal in the long run.

A radiological test called a DISIDA scan with CCK injection can detect the gall bladder dysfunction that causes the Habba syndrome. Sometimes, even a normal gallbladder seen on ultrasound, does not rule out a possibility of the presence of the disease. Gall- stones can prove to a useful indication of the presence of the syndrome.

Many cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have Habba Syndrome also. The IBS is characterized by abdominal pain/cramps, altered bowel habits (constipation/diarrhea), no change with fasting, normal gall bladder functioning, good response to antispasmodics and unpredictable response to bile resins. The Habba syndrome is characterized by no abdominal pain, always post prandial (after eating) diarrhea, improves with fasting, poor gall bladder functioning, poor response to antispasmodics and excellent response to bile acid resins.

Coming to treating the Habba Syndrome the first and foremost thing any suspecting sufferer should do is consult a good gastroenterologist. Commonly, X-Rays, stool tests etc. are conducted. Therapy should be oriented towards correcting the bile acid composition. Bile acid binding agents can be used. Cholestyremine gives excellent results. Removal of gall bladder or Cholesystectomy is not a part of treatment. Wikipedia

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