Overview Incidence Symptoms Evaluation Treatment questions for doctor specialist Home Care dietary fiber Prevention Outlook Complications Underlying Cause Anatomy

Arteriovenous Malformation of the Intestine Home Care

Home care for angiodysplasia includes:

Avoid aspirin.
Avoid anti-inflammatory medications.
Drink plenty of liquids.
Eat a high-fiber diet.
Follow a regular exercise program.
Take prescribed medications as directed:

Don't skip doses of your medication. This makes them less effective.
Be aware of the common side effects that may be caused by your medication.

Arteriovenous Malformation of the Intestine Dietary Fiber

A person with angiodysplasia may benefit from the following fiber diet.

High Fiber Diet
Dietary fiber is a plant material that humans cannot digest. Fiber absorbs water, which keeps the stool soft and promotes rapid passage of material through the intestines. This may reduce exposure to toxic substances and improve the health of the intestines. Fiber also binds fat and cholesterol, and reduces the risk for heart disease. As an added benefit, high fiber foods usually contain important vitamins and minerals.

Fiber comes in two forms, based on whether it will dissolve in water. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. About 3/4 of fiber in the diet should be the insoluble fiber.

Water Soluble Fiber

Examples	Dietary Sources
Pectins, gums, & mucilages	fruits, vegetables, oats, bran, barley, legumes

Insoluble Fiber

Examples	Dietary Sources
Cellulose, hemicellulose	vegetables, wheat bran, & whole grains

Use of a High Fiber Diet
A healthy diet should include more than 25 grams of fiber each day.

A high fiber diet can prevent and treat the following:

General Guidelines
Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are high in fiber, but peeling the skin from fruit and vegetables removes fiber. Dried fruits, beans, black-eyed peas, bran and oatmeal are high in fiber. Bran is the outer layer of the wheat grain.

Strategies for adding bran to the diet:

Add 2-3 teaspoons of bran per serving, in order to increase the fiber content of casseroles, meat loaf, and baked goods.
Use whole grain flour: it has 6 times the fiber of bleached flour.
Use oat bran to replace of 1/3 of the flour in recipes.
Use fiber supplements, such as Citrucel and Metamucil.

Change your diet slowly. Rapid changes in the diet can cause bloating, gas and diarrhea.

Example High-Fiber Diet
Eat 3 to 10 servings of whole grain food every day.

Examples include:

Barley
Brown rice
Oatmeal or oat bran
Rye bread
Wheat germ
Whole grain bagels
Whole grain breads
Whole grain muffins
Whole grain or bran cereals
Whole grain pita bread
Whole wheat crackers
Whole wheat pasta

Eat 3-4 servings of fruit each day.

Examples include:

Apple
Banana
Berries
Grapefruit
Nectarine
Orange
Peach
Pear

Eat at least 3-5 servings of raw, unpeeled vegetables per day.

Examples include:

Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Green beans
Green pepper
Onions
Peas
Potatoes with skin
Snow peas
Spinach
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Meat substitutes:
Meat has no fiber, and contains cholesterol and saturated fat. Many high-fiber foods can replace meat in the diet.

Examples include:

Almonds
Brazil nuts
Cashews
Garbanzo beans
Kidney beans
Lentils
Lima beans
Peanut butter
Peanuts
Pinto beans
Sesame seeds
Soybeans, but not tofu
Split peas
Sunflower seeds
Veggie burgers
Walnuts

Continue to Arteriovenous Malformation of the Intestine Prevention

Last Updated: Nov 16, 2010 References
Authors: Stephen J. Schueler, MD; John H. Beckett, MD; D. Scott Gettings, MD
Copyright DSHI Systems, Inc. Powered by: FreeMD - Your Virtual Doctor

PubMed Arteriovenous Malformation of the Intestine References

Gordon FH, Watkinson A, Hodgson H. Vascular malformations of the gastrointestinal tract. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2001 Feb;15(1):41-58. [11355900]
Hodgson H. Hormonal therapy for gastrointestinal angiodysplasia. Lancet. 2002 May 11;359(9318):1630-1. [12020519]
Lingenfelser T, Ell C. Gastrointestinal bleeding in the elderly. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2001 Dec;15(6):963-82. [11866487]