NIHR Signal Low FODMAP diet may improve irritable bowel symptoms more than other diets

Adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who followed a low FODMAP diet had fewer symptoms than those who followed standard dietary advice. They scored their symptoms about 50 points better on a 500 point scale.

The low FODMAP diet is an emerging approach for IBS. It is based on the theory that certain carbohydrates can expand or ferment in the gut and cause symptoms for some people.

From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

Point-of-care and home faecal calprotectin tests for monitoring treatment response in inflammatory bowel disease [MIB132]

New medtech innovation briefing from NICE:

Elevated faecal calprotectin (FC) is a marker of intestinal inflammation, including that caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). NICE diagnostics guidance recommends FC testing for the diagnosis of IBD; this briefing summarises the available information on the use of FC to monitor treatment response in patients with IBD.

There are 3 types of FC test available: point of care (used by healthcare professionals), home use (used by patients or carers) and laboratory (used by laboratory scientists). This briefing includes only point‑of‑care and home‑use tests because laboratory tests are widely available in the NHS, although their usage varies.

Eluxadoline for treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea [TA471]

New Evidence-based recommendations on eluxadoline (Truberzi) for treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea in adults.

Eluxadoline is recommended as an option for treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea in adults, only if:

• the condition has not responded to other pharmacological treatments (for example, antimotility agents, antispasmodics, tricyclic antidepressants) or
• pharmacological treatments are contraindicated or not tolerated, and
• it is started in secondary care.

Drug for irritable bowel syndrome gets NICE approval

NICE has recommended the drug, Truberzi for routine funding on the NHS to treat patients with irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhoea (IBS-D).

New type of treatment for Crohn’s disease is approved by NICE

Following NICE recommendations, patients with Crohn’s disease will have routine NHS access to drug ustekinumab, which offers a new way of treating the condition.

Ustekinumab (also called Stelara, manufactured by Janssen) will be available for patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease.

It is recommended by NICE as an option for treating the disease in adults who have had little or no response, or an intolerance to existing therapies.

Health psychologists now treating functional heartburn, Crohn's Disease, IBS and other GI disorders

Health psychologists have begun treating gastrointestinal disorders that are strongly affected by stress, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, functional heartburn, functional dyspepsia and ulcerative colitis. Read more HERE.

Study Finds CBT Best Therapy for IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a painful and sometime debilitating condition that affects roughly one adult in 10. Previous studies have found that, on average, psychotherapy is just as effective as medications in reducing the severity of symptoms of this gastrointestinal disorder.

Although experts initially believed the type of psychotherapy used for the condition did not matter, a new study suggests one particular type of therapy is the most effect.