Abstract
The 5HT3 receptor antagonist alosetron has been tested in several trials on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to determine its effect on adequate relief of pain or global improvement of symptoms in IBS patients. Six large, multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled trials fulfilled pre-set criteria for high quality and were included in the meta-analysis; 1762 patients were randomized to alosetron treatment and 1356 to placebo. Seventy-five percent of the patients experienced diarrhoea-predominant IBS and 93% were females. The pooled odds ratio for adequate relief of pain or global symptoms improvement was 1.81 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57-2.10). The average number of patients needed to treat with alosetron for one patient to achieve improvement over placebo treatment was seven (95% CI 5.74-9.43). The present analysis shows that alosetron 1 mg b.i.d. positively impacts global symptoms, and pain and discomfort in non-constipated IBS female patients. One in four patients treated with alosetron may develop constipation. The efficacy of alosetron is unclear in male patients.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 79-86 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Neurogastroenterology and Motility |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2003 |
Keywords
- 5-HT antagonists
- Alosetron
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Meta-analysis
- Serotonin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology
- Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
- Gastroenterology