A digital gut-directed hypnotherapy (GDH) program reduces abdominal pain in adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared to digital muscle relaxation (MR), according to a study presented at DDW 2023.
Previous studies on behavioral therapy have shown that GDH improves IBS symptoms for up to 12 months, reduces anxiety and depression, and improves patients’ quality of life, well-being, and functionality. said lead author Dr. Lani Berry of Stanford Medicine in Redwood City. , California, USA.
GDH is a highly effective brain-gut behavioral therapy recommended by international guidelines for the treatment of IBS. [Neurogastroenterol Motil 2023;doi:10.1111/nmo.14554] “However, access to in-person treatment is severely limited for patients,” Berry said.
The study enrolled 378 IBS patients aged 18 to 70 who reported an average worst day pain severity score of 3 or higher on an 11-point scale over a 4-week run-in period.participant is
They were randomized to receive treatment with either digital GDH (n=188) or digital MR via mobile app (n=190) according to the North Carolina protocol. Both programs consisted of seven treatment sessions (once biweekly) over a 12-month period. [DDW 2023, abstract 606]
At 13 to 16 weeks post-treatment, 30.4 percent of GDH-treated patients met the primary endpoint of achieving a 30 percent or greater reduction from baseline in average daily abdominal pain intensity, whereas MR treatment The rate was 27.1% in patients who received However, the difference between groups was not statistically significant (p=0.5352).
There were more abdominal pain responders* in the GDH group than in the MR group.
the last 4 weeks of treatment (weeks 9-12: 30.9 percent vs. 21.5 percent; p=0.0232) and the entire treatment period (weeks 1-12: 29.3 percent vs. 18.8 percent; p=0.0254).
Regarding stool consistency, GHD-treated patients achieved more stool consistency
≧30% improvement BSFS** score (3, 4, or 5, indicating normal stool) compared to patients treated with MR
13-16 weeks post-treatment (44.9 percent vs. 41.3 percent; p=0.51);
However, this finding did not reach statistical significance.
Overall, more than half of patients treated with GDH reported adequate relief of IBS symptoms compared with patients treated with MR (64.0 percent vs. 59.9 percent).
No serious treatment-related adverse events were reported in either group during the study period.
“It is well known that in-person GDH is well-validated for the treatment of IBS…However, this study is the first to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a self-administered, all-digital GDH program. “It’s a randomized controlled trial,” he said. Berry.
“We found digital GDH to be effective and therefore encourage clinicians to consider its use as part of integrated IBS care,” she emphasized.
