The relationship between somatisation and outcome in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the relationship between somatisation and outcome in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). METHOD: Two hundred fifty-seven patients with severe IBS included in a randomised controlled trial were assessed at baseline and divided into four quartiles on the basis of their somatisation score. The patients were randomised to receive the following over 3 months: brief interpersonal psychotherapy, 20 mg daily of the SSRI antidepressant paroxetine, or treatment as usual. Outcome 1 year after treatment was assessed using the Short Form-36 physical component summary (PCS) score and total costs for posttreatment year. RESULTS: The patients in the quartile with the highest baseline somatisation score had the most severe IBS, the most concurrent psychiatric disorders, and the highest total costs for the year prior to baseline. At 1 year after the end of treatment, however, the patients with marked somatisation, who received psychotherapy or antidepressant, had improved health status compared to those who received usual care: mean (S.E.) PCS scores at 15 months were 36.6 (2.2), 35.5 (1.9), and 26.4 (2.7) for psychotherapy, antidepressant, and treatment-as-usual groups, respectively (adjusted P=.014). Corresponding data for total costs over the year following the trial, adjusted for baseline costs, were pound 1092 (487), pound 1394 (443), and pound 2949 (593) (adjusted P=.050). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with severe IBS who have marked somatisation improve with treatment like other IBS patients and show a greater reduction of costs. Antidepressants and psychotherapy are cost-effective treatments in severe IBS accompanied by marked somatisation.

Does psychological treatment help only those patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome who also have a concurrent psychiatric disorder?

OBJECTIVE: We have previously reported improved health-related quality of life in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) following psychological treatments. In this paper, we examine whether this improvement was associated with improvement in psychological symptoms and was confined to those patients who had concurrent psychiatric disorder. METHOD: Two hundred and fifty-seven patients with severe IBS entering a psychological treatment trial were interviewed using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. At entry to the trial and 15 months later, patients were also assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Symptom Cheecklist-90 (SCL-90) and Short Form-36 (SF36) physical component summary score as the main outcome measure. Partial correlation was used to compare changes in SF36 score and changes in psychological scores while controlling for possible confounders, treatment group and baseline scores. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine whether changes in psychological scores, changes in pain and a history of abuse could account for most of the variance of change in SF36 physical component score. RESULTS: Of 257 patients with severe IBS, 107 (42%) had a depressive, panic or generalized anxiety disorder at trial entry. There were moderate but significant correlations (0.21-0.47) between change in the psychological scores and the change in SF36 physical component scores. The correlation coefficients were similar in the groups with and without psychiatric disorder. The superiority of psychotherapy and antidepressant groups over treatment as usual was similar in those with and without psychiatric disorder. Multiple regression found significant independent effects of change in depression, anxiety, somatization and abdominal pain but there was still variance explained by treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: In severe IBS improvement in health-related quality of life following psychotherapy or antidepressants is correlated with, but not explained fully by reduction of psychological scores. A more complete understanding of how these treatments help patients with medically unexplained symptoms will enable us to refine them further.

Outcome in severe irritable bowel syndrome with and without accompanying depressive, panic and neurasthenic disorders.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome often leads to impaired functioning. AIMS: To assess the contribution of psychiatric disorders to impaired outcome in severe irritable bowel syndrome. METHOD: Patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome entering a psychological treatment trial (n=257) were interviewed using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. Outcomes were number of days of restricted activity, role limitation (physical) score of the Short Form Health Survey and costs. RESULTS: At baseline, depressive disorder (29% of patients), panic (12%) and neurasthenia (35%) were associated with impairment; number of psychiatric disorders was associated in a dose-response fashion (P=0.005). At follow-up, depressive disorder and neurasthenia were associated with role limitation score. Improved depression was associated with improved role functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive, panic and neurasthenic disorders contribute to poor outcomes in severe irritable bowel syndrome, and appropriate treatment should be available to these patients.

Reported sexual abuse predicts impaired functioning but a good response to psychological treatments in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the effect of reported sexual abuse on symptom severity and health-related quality of life in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) undergoing psychological treatments. METHODS: IBS patients entering a treatment trial who reported prior sexual abuse were compared with the remainder in terms of symptom severity and health-related quality of life (SF-36) at trial entry and 15 months later. Analyses used ANCOVA with age, sex, marital status, and treatment group as covariates. We assessed possible mediators using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 257 patients with severe IBS, 31 (12.1%) reported a history of rape and 28 (10.9%) reported forced, unwanted touching. People who reported abuse were more impaired than the remainder on the SF-36 scales for pain (adjusted p = .023) and physical function (p = .029); these relationships followed a "dose-response" relationship and were mediated by SCL-90 somatization score. At 15 months follow-up, the associations between reported abuse and SF-36 scores were lost because people with reported abuse, especially rape, improved more than the remainder when treated with psychotherapy or paroxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant); this improvement was mediated by change in SCL-90 somatization score. CONCLUSIONS: In severe IBS, the association between self-reported sexual abuse and impaired functioning is mediated by a general tendency to report numerous bodily symptoms. A reported history of abuse is associated with a marked improvement following psychological treatment.

Changes in tolerance to rectal distension correlate with changes in psychological state in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Reduced tolerance to rectal distension has been regarded as a biological marker for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but longitudinal studies are few. This study determined whether change in tolerance to rectal distension after psychological treatments was associated with: 1) change in abdominal pain; 2) change in psychological symptoms; 3) a reported history of sexual abuse. METHODS: Participants completed a visual analogue scale of abdominal pain, SCL-90 and Hamilton rating scale of depression; discomfort threshold to rectal distension was determined using a double random staircase protocol. These were measured at entry to a trial of psychotherapy or paroxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant) and 3 months later (N = 52). Analysis of change scores were adjusted for treatment group and baseline values. RESULTS: Increased tolerance to distension after treatment was associated with reduction in depression (r = -0.37, p =.008) but not abdominal pain. Patients who reported prior sexual abuse showed greater increase in tolerance than the remainder (changes in volume threshold: -24.7 ml [SEM = 12.1] vs. 3.6 ml [SEM = 6.2], adjusted p =.045; changes in pressure threshold: -4.7 [SEM = 1.7] mm Hg vs. 0.96 [SEM=0.9], adjusted p =.005). Multiple regression indicated that reduction in depression score and a reported history of sexual abuse were independently associated with improved tolerance to distension. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe IBS, increased tolerance to rectal distension after psychological treatment is significantly associated with improved depression and reported sexual abuse. These results suggest that in some patients with severe IBS psychological rather than biological processes are primarily responsible for reduced tolerance to rectal distension.

The cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy and paroxetine for severe irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Psychotherapy and antidepressants are effective in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the cost-effectiveness of either treatment in routine practice has not been established. METHODS: Patients with severe IBS were randomly allocated to receive 8 sessions of individual psychotherapy, 20 mg daily of the specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, paroxetine, or routine care by a gastroenterologist and general practitioner. Primary outcome measures of abdominal pain, health-related quality of life, and health care costs were determined after 3 months of treatment and 1 year later. RESULTS: A total of 257 subjects (81% response rate) from 7 hospitals were recruited; 59 of 85 patients (69%) randomized to psychotherapy and 43 of 86 (50%) of the paroxetine group completed the full course of treatment. Both psychotherapy and paroxetine were superior to treatment as usual in improving the physical aspects of health-related quality of life (SF-36 physical component score improvement, 5.2 [SEM, 1.26], 5.8 [SEM, 1.0], and -0.3 [SEM, 1.17]; P < 0.001), but there was no difference in the psychological component. During the follow-up year, psychotherapy but not paroxetine was associated with a significant reduction in health care costs compared with treatment as usual (psychotherapy, $976 [SD, $984]; paroxetine, $1252 [SD, $1616]; and treatment as usual, $1663 [SD, $3177]). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with severe IBS, both psychotherapy and paroxetine improve health-related quality of life at no additional cost.