[Unexplained chronic diarrhea, apropos of 4 new cases under Cyclo 3 fort and review of the literature]

We report 4 cases of chronic diarrhoea in patients treated with Cylclo 3 fort. This side-effect was not mentioned in the French list of therapeutic drugs until 1992. The diarrhoea was without faeces and without glairy mucus or blood. Symptomatic treatments were totally ineffective. The diarrhoea itself was well tolerated, but 3 patients lost weight, with hypokalaemia in 2 of them, and 1 had regressive acute renal failure. The time elapsed between the first dose of Cyclo 3 fort and the diarrhoea ranged from 1 to 3 months, and it took 5 months to make the aetiological diagnosis. Two patients were hospitalized. Withdrawal of the drug always resulted in cure. One patient taking enemas developed a regressive subocclusion of the bowel. The physiopathological mechanism of this diarrhoea is unknown. These cases are similar to the 5 other cases reported in the literature.