Object of the study: variants in the course of diseases of the intestines (chronic colitis, irritable colon syndrome) against a background of vertebral osteochondrosis. Purpose of the study: an increase in the quality and an improvement in the efficacy of the treatment of patients with chronic colitis (CC) and irritable colon syndrome (ICS) accompanied by degenerative diseases of the spine (DDS) on the basis of the revealed mechanisms of the intestinal affection. Methods of research: general clinical, laboratory, biochemical, instrumental, statistical. Theoretical and practical results: patients with diseases of their intestines, namely CC and ICS, which pass against a background of DDS, require assessment of their calcium metabolism. Laboratory and instrumental criteria were determined, thereby making it possible to objectify a spectrum of bone disorders in patients with CC and ICS. Correlations were found out between the state of bone metabolism, calcium metabolism and type of the intestinal affection (CC or ICS) in patients with concomitant DDS. On the basis of the study of changes in the bone tissue, an individual scheme for pathogenetic pharmacotherapy of such pa-tients was devised. It was found out that the administration of calcium to patients with a concomitant course of CC, ICS and DDS ensured correction of the revealed homeostasis disturbances, it increasing the efficacy of the treatment. The use of Calcemine in combined therapy of such patients facilitated achievement of a more prolonged remission and stability in the treatment results. Novelty: clinical-pathogenetic peculiarities in the course of CC or ICS, accompanied by DDS, were revealed; peculiarities in the morphological changes, occurring in the intestines of such patients, were determined. It was proved that a concomitant course of CC or ICS with underlying DDS resulted in a disturbance of mineral metabolism. For the first time, a complex research was conducted to study calcium homeostasis, bone metabolism and the structural-functional state of the bone tissue in patients with combined pathology: CC/ICS and DDS. A dependence, unknown before, was established between clinical manifestations, the type of intestinal lesion and indices of calcium metabolism and bone remodelling; this dependence be-came the basis for a new way in diagnosing, prognosticating and differentially treating patients with CC and ICS accompanied by DDS. Inclusion of Calcemine into complex treatment of patients with CC/ICS against a background of DDS was pathogenetically proved. It was proved that the above way of therapy produced a positive effect on the normalization of calcium homeostasis and bone remodelling, rather than on the clinical manifestations of both diseases only, thereby increasing efficacy of medical meas-ures. Degree of introduction: scientific results, obtained in the thesis, were introduced into clinical practice of therapeutic and gastroenterological departments of polyclinics and hospitals of such cities as Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lugansk. Materials of the research are used in the teaching process at the Department of General Practice – Family Medicine of Kharkiv State Medical University. Sphere of application: medicine, therapy.
