Group CBT with interoceptive exposure safe, effective for drug-refractory IBS

Group cognitive behavioural therapy (GCBT) with interoceptive exposure (IE) is not only safe and effective but also an efficient treatment option for individuals with drug-refractory irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a Japan study.

A team of investigators sought to assess the efficacy and safety of GCBT with IE, a novel form of GCBT for drug-refractory IBS. People aged 18‒75 years with moderate-to-severe drug-refractory IBS (n=114) were enrolled in this single-centre, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Participants were stratified according to IBS severity and randomly assigned to a 10-week GCBT-IE or waiting list (WL).

Changes from baseline to week 13 in the IBS Symptom Severity Score and the IBS Quality of Life Measure (IBS-QOL), assessed in the intention-to-treat participants, were the primary outcomes.

Of the participants, 54 were randomized to GCBT-IE and 60 to WL. Forty-nine individuals (90.7 percent) in the GCBT-IE group and 58 (96.7 percent) in the WL group completed the 13-week assessment.

Participants in the GCBT-IE cohort showed greater improvements in IBS symptom severity and quality of life than did those in the WL cohort (IBS Symptom Severity Score: ‒115.8 vs ‒29.7; difference, ‒86.1, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], ‒117.3 to ‒55.0; IBS-QOL: 20.1 vs ‒0.2; difference, 20.3, 95 percent CI, 15.2‒25.3).

Of note, six unexpected serious adverse events occurred, but they were deemed unrelated to the interventions, according to the investigators.