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Permalink Reply by hagster on September 26, 2017 at 12:52pm

The transplantation of fecal matter (human poop) was used for antibiotic drug usage which resulted in diarrhea. pretty far fetched. Fix the reason for using antibiotics - in children usually chronic ear infections needing tube insertion- to eliminate the need for the drug, and you fix the diarrhea.


Sounds like a Frankenstein treatment that could cause more harm than good. If e-coli (from the fecal matter) were deliberately introduced into a childs body, it could have devestating consequences such as kidney failure or even death.

The funny thing is e-coli infection is treated with antibiotics - which takes us back to the original reason for the fecal treatment.

With only 2 cases cited, I might tend to lean toward spontaneous remission.

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Permalink Reply by alopeciamum on September 26, 2017 at 2:43pm

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you about it being a Frankenstein treatment. FMT is currently being used to successfully treat recurring bouts of Clostridium difficile (c-diff) at a renowned NHS hospital in the UK - Guys and St Thomas -this link gives more information: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/in...
It is also being looked at now for other conditions - the science behind it being that gut microbiota may have immunomodulatory effects in autoimmune conditions.
The two cases cited were having FMT to treat c-diff not alopecia. It just so happens that they also had alopecia so it was only by chance that the effect on alopecia was noticed, hence the reason why there is only 2 cases. In the FMT clinics in the UK the donors are screened for infectious diseases (as I assume they would also do in other countries) but I agree there is a risk that following transplantation the recipient may take on bacteria or pathogens that are tolerated by the donor but that may not be tolerated by the recipient. FMT clinics in the UK will not do the procedure on a child but my son is 18 so no problem there.
As FMT has not been used as a specific treatment for alopecia (to my knowledge) I was just wandering whether anyone else had any experience of it, either personally or anecdotally, in the event of it being used as a treatment for other conditions.

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