Efficacy of mesalazine in IBS

Editor, We read the papers by Barbara et al1 and Lam et al2 with interest. The authors reported the results of two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of mesalazine in IBS. These are the largest studies examining the efficacy of this drug in IBS, to date, and the authors are to be applauded for conducting them. The efficacy of mesalazine in UC is undisputed.3–5 However, the observation that a subset of patients with IBS, particularly those with a post-infective aetiology, may demonstrate low-grade colonic mucosal inflammatory changes has led to a renewed interest in the use of the drug for this condition.6 Unfortunately, mesalazine was not superior to placebo in the authors’ primary analysis in either of the trials, although there was a benefit in a posthoc analysis, when response to treatment was defined as satisfactory relief of overall IBS symptoms for...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: PostScript Source Type: research
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