ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort associated with changes in bowel habit. Currently there are no objective outcome measures for evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for this disorder. AIMS: To determine the usefulness of a method of analysis that employs polar vectors to evaluate the effectiveness of IBS treatments. METHODS: Data from a Phase IV clinical study with 1677 active IBS-Rome III patients who received 100mg of pinaverium bromide+300mg of simethicone (PB+S) po bid for a period of four weeks were used for the analysis. Using the Bristol Stool Scale as a reference, the consistency and frequency of each type of bowel movement were recorded weekly in a Bristol Matrix (BM) and the data were expressed as polar vectors. RESULTS: The analysis showed a differential response to the PB+S treatment among the IBS subtypes: in reference to the IBS with constipation subtype, the magnitude of the vector increased from 10.2 to 12.5, reaching maximum improvement at two weeks of treatment (p<0.05, Scheffé). In the IBS with diarrhea and mixed IBS subtypes, the magnitude of the vector decreased from 19 to 14 (p<0.05) and from 16.5 to 13 (p<0.05), respectively, with continuous improvement for a period of four weeks. There was no definable vectorial pattern in the unsubtyped IBS group. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis with polar vectors enables treatment response to be measured in different IBS subtypes. All the groups showed improvement with PB+S, but each one had its own characteristic response in relation to vector magnitude and direction. The proposed method can be implemented in clinical studies to evaluate the efficacy of IBS treatments.
Subject(s)
Algorithms , Calcium Channel Blockers/therapeutic use , Gastrointestinal Agents/therapeutic use , Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy , Morpholines/therapeutic use , Simethicone/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Adult , Constipation/etiology , Constipation/therapy , Drug Combinations , Female , Humans , Irritable Bowel Syndrome/diagnosis , Male , Middle Aged , Socioeconomic Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Se estudió la evolución de 60 pacientes escolares con diagnóstico clínico de colitis amebiana, habitantes de una zona rural llamada Xico. La muestra se dividió en dos grupos, 30 del sexo femenino y 30 del masculino con edades entre seis y 12 años. Se administró una combinación de diyodohidroxiquinoleína y dimeticona a dosis de 30 mg por kg por día por vía oral en forma de suspensión. A los 4.5 días promedio hubo notable mejoría en 93.7 por ciento de los pacientes, por lo que concluye que esta combinación es una alternativa empírica eficaz para el tratamiento de la colitis amebiana.