Evaluating and Treating Potential Research Participants With Digestive Disorders

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is conducting a protocol to evaluate and provide standard treatment to participants with various diagnosed and undiagnosed digestive conditions. Investigators of this protocol provide GI consultation at the NIH Clinical Center for a range of GI conditions. Objectives: The primary objective of this protocol is to allow digestive care specialists in NINR and other institutions to provide standard of care. Evaluating and treating participants will allow digestive care specialists to maintain their expertise and gain additional knowledge of the course of various digestive disorders. Additionally this protocol will allow for hypothesis generation and provide a resource of patients for enrollment into new research protocols throughout the NINR branches. The information obtained will allow for the evaluation of standard treatments of the studied digestive diseases. This understanding may lead to ideas for future protocols. The protocol will also allow for trainees to receive training in the management of digestive disorders. Study Population: The number of participants for this evaluation and treatment protocol will be set to 500 patients with digestive disorders and their unaffected first-degree relatives. Design: This is a natural history evaluation and treatment protocol of the progression and physiology of multiple digestive disorders. Blood or other biologic samples (including but not limited to stool, urine, saliva, hair, cheek swab, or tissue) will be obtained through non-invasive means or incidentally to clinical care for future laboratory studies. In addition, genetic samples may be collected from unaffected first-degree relatives and may be used to identify and verify causative mutations. Outcome Measures: The outcome measures for this protocol are the clinical assessments of enrolled participants, including their response to standard treatments. Also, causative mutations may help establish pathogenic mechanisms and genotype-phenotype correlations.