Secretin and Autism Ranking:

Key Features

Secretin is a gastrointestinal hormone that helps to promote digestion of food.

It stimulates the stomach to produce the enzyme pepsin, the liver to produce bile, and the pancreas to produce digestive juices that help neutralize acidity in the intestines.

The main medical use of secretin is as a diagnostic tool in various disorders of the pancreas (such as gastrinoma). However, according to the WebMD website accessed on 15 May 2018, it is also sometimes used to treat conditions such as an overactive parathyroid gland, duodenal ulcers, bleeding in the stomach and intestines, and heart failure. 

Secretin is normally injected subcutaneously into the fat layer between the skin and muscle.  However it is occasionally administered in other ways.

• Transdermal: cream or ointment that is rubbed into the skin. 
• Ingestion: homeopathic solution or tablet that is swallowed. 

Medications containing secretin are sold under a variety of brand names in different countries including ChiRhoStim, Secretin-Ferring, SecreFlo and Secrelux. 

Each of these brands may be available in different dosages. For example, ChiRhoStim is available as 16mcg/vial and 40mcg/vial of powder that is mixed with a sodium chloride solution prior to injection.

The correct dosage of secretin will depend on the nature of the condition being treated, the body weight of the patient, the brand of secretin being used and the way that is administered. 

Notes

Bile (secretion produced by the liver which aids in the digestion of fats in the duodenum); Duodenum (first and shortest segment of the small intestine); Gastrinoma (rare type of tumour that usually develops in the digestive system); Pancreas (gland which forms part of the digestive system); Parathyroid glands (glands in the neck that control the body's calcium levels); Pepsin (digestive enzyme that breaks down proteins).

Updated

16 Jun 2022

Last Review

01 Dec 2018

Next Review

01 Aug 2024