Hyperserotoninemia in Functional Gastrointestinal Disease

Article1 October 1963Hyperserotoninemia in Functional Gastrointestinal DiseaseRICHARD R. PICHEL WARNER, M.D., F.A.C.P. (ASSOC.)RICHARD R. PICHEL WARNER, M.D., F.A.C.P. (ASSOC.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-59-4-464 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe precise physiologic role of serotonin (5-HT) is unclear. However, it is considered to participate as an integral part of the process mediating and regulating intestinal tone and peristalsis (1, 2). It is also thought to participate in central nervous system function (3). Recent studies seriously question the responsibility of 5-HT in the production of some extra intestinal features of carcinoid disease (4-6). However, even in the absence of direct evidence for its playing a causal role, hyperserotoninemia appears to be closely related to the gastrointestinal manifestations.Hyperserotoninemia can produce nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea, as is seen in...References1. BÜLBRINGLIN ERC: The effect of intraluminal application of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine and 5-hydroxytryptophan on peristalsis: the local production of 5-HT and its release in relation to intraluminal pressure and propulsive activity. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 140: 381, 1958. Google Scholar2. BÜLBRINGLINSCHOFIELD ERCG: An investigation of the peristaltic reflex in relation to anatomical observations. Quart. J. Exp. Physiol. 43: 26, 1958. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. SJOERDSMA A: Serotonin. New Eng. J. Med. 261: 231, 1959. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. HAVERBACKWIRTSCHAFTERDYCE BJSB: Histamine metabolism in the malignant carcinoid syndrome. Clin. Res. 10: 86, 1962. Google Scholar5. 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CrossrefGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: New York, New YorkFrom the Division of Gastroenterology of the Department of Medicine, The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York.Aided in part by grant A-3228 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health of the United States Public Health Service, Bethesda, Maryland.A preliminary report of this study was presented at The National Meeting of The American Federation for Clinical Research in Atlantic City, New Jersey, April 30, 1961.Part of this study was conducted while the author was the Glorney-Raisbeck Fellow in the Medical Sciences.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Richard R. Pichel Warner, M.D., 1035 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, New York. 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