MONDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- Serotonin type 3 antagonists are effective in treating abdominal pain and discomfort, and global symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in men and women whose condition is marked by diarrhea or lack of constipation, according to research published in the May issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Viola Andresen, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of 14 trials that compared the 5-HT3 antagonists alosetron or cilansetron with placebo or mebeverine. All studies included subjects with non-constipated and/or diarrhea-predominant IBS.
The 5-HT3 antagonists were more effective for global improvement of symptoms (pooled relative risk 1.60) and relieving abdominal pain and discomfort (pooled relative risk 1.30), the investigators found. Treatment effects were similar in men and women. The medications were more likely to cause constipation (pooled relative risk 4.28), though this was less common in the diarrhea-predominant type than in a mix of both types.
"It has been suggested that the beneficial effects of 5-HT3 antagonists on the global IBS symptom complex and IBS-related abdominal pain may reflect the beneficial effects on decreasing diarrhea in these patients. However, other effects of this drug class (e.g., on visceral sensation and compliance), indicate additional positive effects responsible for the improvement of IBS symptoms. Moreover, other agents with pure antidiarrheal effects such as loperamide have failed to show beneficial effects on improving IBS-related abdominal pain," the authors write.
Andresen and several co-authors disclosed financial relationships with the manufacturers of cilansetron and alosetron.
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