To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Soluble Fibre Alleviates Symptoms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Presented at UEGW URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2314AA.htm Doctor's Guide October 23, 2008
By Judith Moser, MD VIENNA, Austria -- October 23, 2008 -- Use of soluble fibre, particularly ispaghula, is effective in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), whereas insoluble fibre is not, according to results of a pooled analysis presented here at the 16th United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW). A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted against the background of controversial data on the role of fibre in the treatment of IBS. Alexander C. Ford, MD, Department of Academic Medicine, St. James's University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom, presented the data at a poster session on October 22. Dr. Ford and colleagues searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register for randomised, controlled trials that examined the impact of fibre on either global symptoms or abdominal pain at the end of treatment in patients with IBS. The study population consisted of adults with IBS, defined by symptom-based criteria, a clinician's diagnosis, or either of these combined with negative gastrointestinal results to investigations. Twelve studies with a total of 591 patients were identified. All trials were placebo controlled, except one that used a low-fibre diet for the control arm, Dr. Ford said. The pooled effect of fibre on symptoms of IBS was expressed as the relative risk of remaining symptomatic. "Basically, we showed a treatment effect in favour of fibre with a reduced relative risk of symptoms persisting and a number needed to treat of 11," Dr. Ford reported. Of the 300 patients assigned to fibre, 51.7% had persistent symptoms compared with 57.7% of 291 patients who did not receive active treatment. In a subanalysis, effects were assessed separately for soluble fibre (such as ispaghula husk) and insoluble fibre (such as bran). Six studies used ispaghula husk, a bulk-forming fibre, in 321 patients. In these trials, 51.6% of patients receiving active treatment had persistent symptoms compared with 64.4% in the control arm. This related to a number needed to treat of 6 patients and a relative risk of 0.78. Five trials used bran in 221 patients. In these trials, nearly 54% of patients in each treatment arm had persistent symptoms. Overall, only soluble fibre proved efficacious in IBS, but at the same time, insoluble fibre did not appear to exacerbate the symptoms of IBS, as has been previously reported. "Soluble fibre should be one of the interventions to consider first-line when a patient with irritable bowel syndrome is seen either in primary or secondary care," Dr. Ford concluded. [Presentation title: Efficacy of Fibre in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Abstract P1356] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.