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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Jun;104(6):1489-97.
doi: 10.1038/ajg.2009.156.

A treatment trial of acupuncture in IBS patients

Anthony J Lembo  1 , Lisa Conboy, John M Kelley, Rosa S Schnyer, Claire A McManus, Mary T Quilty, Catherine E Kerr, Doug Drossman, Eric E Jacobson, Roger B Davis
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A treatment trial of acupuncture in IBS patients

Anthony J Lembo et al. Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of true and sham acupuncture in relieving symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods: A total of 230 adult IBS patients (75 % females, average age: 38.4 years) were randomly assigned to 3 weeks of true or sham acupuncture (6 treatments) after a 3-week "run-in" with sham acupuncture in an "augmented" or "limited" patient-practitioner interaction. A third arm of the study included a waitlist control group. The primary outcome was the IBS Global Improvement Scale (IBS-GIS) (range: 1 - 7); secondary outcomes included the IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS), the IBS Adequate Relief (IBS-AR), and the IBS Quality of Life (IBS-QOL).

Results: Although there was no statistically significant difference between acupuncture and sham acupuncture on the IBS-GIS (41 vs. 32 % , P = 0.25), both groups improved significantly compared with the waitlist control group (37 vs. 4 % , P = 0.001). Similarly, small differences that were not statistically significant favored acupuncture over the other three outcomes: IBS-AR(59 vs. 57 % , P = 0.83), IBS-SSS (31 vs. 21 % , P = 0.18), and IBS-QOL (17 vs. 13 % , P = 0.56). Eliminating responders during the run-in period did not substantively change the results. Side effects were generally mild and only slightly greater in the acupuncture group.

Conclusions: This study did not find evidence to support the superiority of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in the treatment of IBS.

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Conflict of interest statement

No Conflicts of Interest Exist

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flow of Patients through the Study
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percent of Patients who were Responders by Outcome Measure
Note. Error bars indicate standard errors. None of the acupuncture-sham acupuncture differences are statistically significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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