Guidelines for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Joong Goo Kwon; Kyung Sik Park; Jung Ho Park; Jae Myung Park; Cheol Hee Park; Kwang Jae Lee; Hyo-Jin Park; Jong Chul Rhee

doi:10.4166/kjg.2011.57.2.82

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Kwon, Park, Park, Park, Park, Lee, Park, Rhee, and The Korean Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility: Guidelines for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Special Review

Korean J Gastroenterol 2011;57(2):82-99.

Published online: 4 October 2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4166/kjg.2011.57.2.82

Guidelines for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Joong Goo Kwon, Kyung Sik Park¹, Jung Ho Park², Jae Myung Park³, Cheol Hee Park⁴, Kwang Jae Lee⁵, Hyo-Jin Park⁶, Jong Chul Rhee²; The Korean Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility

Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea

¹Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea

²Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

³The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

⁴Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea

⁵Department of Gastroenterology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea

⁶Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence to: Kwang Jae Lee, Department of Gastroenterology, Ajou University Hospital, San 5, Wonchon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 443-721, Korea. Tel: +82-31-219-6939, Fax: +82-31-219-5999, E-mail: kjleemd@hotmail.com

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Traditional symptom-based therapies of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are directed at the relief of individual IBS symptoms, but they are often of limited efficacy in addressing the entire symptom complex. Combinations of drugs to target bothersome symptoms are suggested as the first-line pharmacologic treatment. Increasing knowledge of the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of IBS has resulted in the development of several new therapeutic approaches. Thirteen consensus statements for the treatment of IBS were developed using the modified Delphi approach. Exclusion diets have modest efficacy in improving symptoms in some IBS patients. Symptom-based therapies with dietary fiber, bulking agents, laxatives, antispasmodics and laxatives are effective in the improvement of some individual symptoms, e.g. dietary fiber and bulking agents for constipation, laxatives for constipation, antispasmodics for abdominal pain and discomfort, antidiarrheals for diarrhea. 5HT₃ receptor antagonists and 5HT₄ receptor agonists are effective in the relief of global IBS symptoms and individual symptoms such as abdominal pain and abnormal bowel habits. A short term course of nonabsorbable antibiotics may improve global IBS symptoms, particularly in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS. Some probiotics appear to have the potential benefit in improving global IBS symptoms. Selective C-2 chloride channel activator is more effective than placebo at relieving global IBS symptoms in patients with constipation-predominant IBS. Both tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are equally effective in relieving global IBS symptoms, and have some benefits in treating abdominal pain. Certain types of psychologic therapy may be effective in improving global symptoms in some IBS patients. Further studies are strongly needed to develop better treatment strategies for Korean patients with IBS.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome, Treatment, Guideline

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Fig. 1.

Flow chart for searching strategy.

Table 1.

Grading Recommendations¹⁴

Grade of recommendation / description	Benefit vs. risk and burdens	Methodological quality of supporting evidence	Implications
1A. Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence	Benefits clearly outweigh risk and burden, or vice versa	RCTs without important limitations or overwhelming evidence from observational studies	Strong recommendation, can apply to most patients in most circumstances. Further evidence is unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect
1B. Strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence	Benefits clearly outweigh risk and burden, or vice versa	RCTs with important limitations (inconsistent results, methodological flaws, indirect, or imprecise) or exceptionally strong evidence from observational studies	Strong recommendation, can apply to most patients in most circumstances. Higher quality evidence may well change our confidence in the estimate of effect
1C. Strong recommendation, low-quality or very low-quality evidence	Benefits clearly outweigh risk and burden, or vice versa	Observational studies or case series	Strong recommendation, can apply to most patients in most circumstances. Higher quality evidence is very likely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect
2A. Weak recommendation, high-quality evidence	Benefits closely balanced with risk and burden	RCTs without important limitations or overwhelming evidence from observational studies	Weak recommendation, best action may differ depending on circumstances or patients' or societal values. Further evidence is unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect
2B. Weak recommendation, moderate-quality evidence	Benefits closely balanced with risk and burden	RCTs with important limitations (inconsistent results, methodological flaws, indirect, or imprecise) or exceptionally strong evidence from observational studies	Weak recommendation, best action may differ depending on circumstances or patients' or societal values. Higher quality evidence may well change our confidence in the estimate of effect
2C. Weak recommendation, low-quality or very low-quality evidence	Uncertainty in the estimates of benefits, risks and burden; benefits, risk and burden may be closely balanced	Observational studies or case series	Very weak recommendations; other alternatives may be equally reasonable. High quality evidence is very likely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect

RCT, randomized controlled trial.

Table 2.

Studies of antispasmodic agents for treatment of IBS

Author	Study design and ITT population	Treatment	Key findings
Baldi et al.⁵¹	4-week, randomized double blind; Rome criteria not used	Otilonium bromide 40 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo	Improved pain and bloating (p＜0.02); frequency of bowel movements (NS)
Battaglia et al.⁵²	15-week, randomized, double blind, parallel (378 IBS; subtype not specified); Rome I criteria	Otilonium bromide 40 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo	Reduced pain episodes (p＜0.01); distension (p＜0.05); improved well-being (p＜0.05); global symptoms (p＜0.01)
Glende et al.⁵³	15-week, randomized double blind (378 IBS; subtype not specified); Rome I criteria	Otilonium bromide 40 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo	Higher response to treatment within 2–4 months (p=0.007)
Luttecke et al.⁴⁵	Trials 1 and 2: 3-day, randomized double blind cross-over (45 IBS: subtype not specified); Rome criteria not used	Trial 1: Trimebutine 200 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo Trial 2: Trimebutine 100 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo	Trial 2: improved abdominal pain /distension/flatulence/ constipation (p＜0.001)
Centonze et al.⁴⁶	6-month, randomized double blind; (48 IBS); Rome criteria not used	Cimetropium bromide 50 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo	Reduced abdominal pain (p＜0.01) and anxiety (p＜0.05); improved global symptoms (p＜0.01)
Dobrilla et al.⁴⁷	3-month, randomized, double blind, parallel (70 IBS); Rome criteria not used	Cimetropium bromide 50 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo	Reduced abdominal pain (p＜0.0005) and pain episodes (p＜0.001); improved global symptoms (p=0.039)
Awad et al.⁴⁸	3-week, randomized, double blind, parallel (40 IBS; all subtypes); Rome I criteria	Pinaverium bromide 50 mg t.d.s. vs. placebo	Improved pain duration, stool frequency and consistency (p≤0.01)
Cappello et al.⁵⁰	4-week, randomized, double blind, (57 IBS); Rome II criteria	Peppermint oil 2 capsules b.i.d. vs. placebo	Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.01)
Liu et al.⁴⁹	1-month, randomized, double blind, (110 IBS); Rome criteria not used	Peppermint oil 187 mg 3 to 4 times vs. placebo	Improved abdominal pain, distension, stool frequency, borborygmi and flatulence, (p＜0.05)

IBS, irritable bowel syndrome. ITT, intention to treat.

Table 3.

Studies of antidiarrheals for treatment of IBS

Author	Study design and ITT population	Treatment	Key findings
Lavo et al.⁵⁵	13-week, randomized double blind, parallel (25 IBS); Rome criteria not used	Loperamide 2–8 mg q.d. vs. placebo	Improvements in stool consistency (p＜0.001), pain (p＜0.01), urgency (p＜0.05) and overall response (p＜0.03) all vs. placebo
Hovdenak et al.⁵⁶	3-week, randomized, double blind, parallel (58 IBS); Rome criteria not used	Loperamide 4 mg q.d. vs. placebo	Improvements in stool frequency and consistency (p＜0.01), fewer painful days (p＜0.01)
Efskind et al.⁵⁷	5-week, randomized double blind (69 IBS; subtype not specified); Rome criteria not used	Loperamide 2–6 mg q.d. vs. placebo	Improvements in stool frequency (p＜0.0001)and consistency (p＜0.01)
Cann et al.⁵⁸	5-week, randomized, double blind, cross-over (28 IBS); Rome criteria not used	Loperamide 2–12 mg q.d. vs. placebo	Improvements in stool frequency (p＜0.001) and consistency (p＜0.01), diarrhea (p＜0.01) and urgency (p＜0.01)

IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; ITT, intention to treat.

Table 4.

Studies of 5HT₃ antagonists for treatment of IBS

Author	Study design and ITT population	Treatment	Key findings
Bardhan et al.⁶²	12-week, randomized double blind, parallel (462 IBS-D); Rome I	Alosetron 0.1, 0.5, and 2 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Increased pain-free days and decreased VAS score for diarrhea (p＜0.05) Hardened stools and reduced stool frequency (p＜0.002)
Camilleri et al.⁶³	12-week, randomized, double blind, parallel (626 IBS-D); Rome I	Alosetron 1 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Greater relief of pain/discomfort (p＜0.001), decreased urgency and stool frequency, and improved stool consistency (p＜0.001)
Chey et al.⁶⁴	48-week, randomized double blind, parallel (714 IBS-D); Rome I	Alosetron 1 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Greater 48-week average relief (p＜0.01) and urgency control (p＜0.001)
Lembo et al.⁶⁵	12-week, randomized, double blind, parallel (492 IBS-D); Rome II	Alosetron 1 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Greater urgency control (p＜0.001); improved global symptoms (p＜0.001) at 4, 8, and 12 weeks
Camilleri et al.⁶⁶	12-week, randomized double blind; (370 IBS-D or IBS-M); Rome I	Alosetron 1, 2, 4, 8 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Females: greater relief of pain/discomfort, (p＜0.05); decreased urgency and stool frequency, and improved stool consistency (p＜0.05)
Chang et al.⁶⁷	12-week, randomized double blind; (662 IBS-D, male); Rome I	Alosetron 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Greater relief of pain/discomfort, (p＜0.05); improved stool consistency (p＜0.001)
Camilleri et al.⁶⁸	12-week, randomized double blind; (647 female, IBS-D or IBS-M); Rome and negative GI investigations within the last 5 years	I Alosetron 1 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Greater relief of pain/discomfort (p＜0.05), decreased urgency and stool frequency, and improved stool consistency (p＜0.001)
Krause et al.⁶⁹	12-week, randomized double blind; (705 female, IBS-D); Rome II	Alosetron 0.5 or 1 mg o.d., or 1 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.02); Greater relief of pain/discomfort (p≤0.038)
Lembo et al.⁷⁰	12-week, randomized, double blind, (801 female, IBS-D); Rome II	Alosetron 1 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.001); Significant relief of bowel urgency (p＜0.001)
Matsueda et al.⁷⁴	12-week, randomized, double blind, parallel (539 IBS-D); Rome II	Ramosetron 5 μ g q.d. vs. placebo	Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.001)
Matsueda et al.⁷³	12-week, randomized, double blind, parallel (418 IBS-D); Rome II	Ramosetron 1, 5, 10 μ g q.d. vs. placebo	Ramosetron 10 μ g; Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.026), Greater relief of abdominal pain/discomfort (p＜0.002), Improved abnormal bowel habit (p=0.038)

IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; ITT, intention to treat.

Table 5.

Studies of 5HT₄ agonists for treatment of IBS

Author	Study design and ITT population	Treatment	Key findings
Nyhlin et al.⁷⁵	12-week, randomized double blind, parallel (647 IBS, no IBS-D); Rome II	Tegaserod 6 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Greater overall relief from IBS symptoms over weeks 1–4 (p=0.0049) and weeks 1–12 (p＜0.0001)
Muller-Lissner et al.⁷⁶	12-week, randomized double blind, parallel (881 IBS-C); Rome I	Tegaserod 2 or 6 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.005), Greater relief of abdominal pain/discomfort (p＜0.05), Increased number of bowel movement (p＜0.05), Decrease in stool consistency (p＜0.05)
Novick et al.⁷⁷	12-week, randomized double blind, (1519 IBS-C, female); Rome I	Tegaserod 6 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.033), Greater relief of abdominal pain/discomfort (p＜0.003) and bloating (p＜0.05), Increased number of bowel movement (p＜0.05), Decrease in stool consistency (p＜0.05)
Kellow et al.⁷⁸	12-week, randomized double blind, (520 IBS, no IBS-D); Rome II	Tegaserod 6 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Improved global IBS symptoms (p＜0.0001), Greater relief of abdominal pain/discomfort (p=0.0134), Increased number of bowel movement (p=0.0002), Decrease in stool consistency (p＜0.0001)
Tack et al.⁷⁹	10-week, randomized double blind, (2660 IBS-C, female); Rome II	Tegaserod 6 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Greater global symptom relief and/or abdominal pain/discomfort during initial and repeated treatment (p≤0.0001), Improved bowel habit and quality of life
Harish et al.⁸⁰	12-week, randomized double blind, parallel (40 male, IBS-C); Rome II and negative GI investigations	Tegaserod 6 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Significant difference in colonic transit time (p＜0.05), Decrease in stool consistency (p＜0.05)
Chey et al.⁸¹	4-week, randomized double blind, (661 IBS, no IBS-D, female); Rome II	Tegaserod 6 mg b.d. vs. placebo	Significant improvement in satisfactory relief of IBS symptoms (p<0.001)

IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; ITT, intention to treat.

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