The use of octreotide in pediatric patients: Practical applications for gastrointestinal disorders and beyond: A narrative review

Abstract

Somatostatin is a naturally occurring polypeptide hormone that exerts its effect on the gastrointestinal tract by reducing exocrine and endocrine secretion, resulting in decreased motility, gastric emptying, splanchnic blood flow, fat absorption, lymphatic flow, and gallbladder contraction. Octreotide is a synthetic somatostatin analogue that has a variety of clinical applications in the gastrointestinal tract, including in the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding, motility disorders, lymphatic disorders, pancreatic disorders, and high-output states. Clinicians may hesitate to use octreotide because of its potential side effects and the lack of robust pediatric data. Here we describe potential side effects of the drug and review the use of octreotide in the above pediatric indications.

Keywords: gastrointestinal bleeding; lymphatic disorders; octreotide; pancreatitis; secretory diarrhea; somatostatin.