Open-label placebo vs double-blind placebo for irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.


Journal

Pain
ISSN: 1872-6623
Titre abrégé: Pain
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 7508686

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
01 09 2021
Historique:
received: 25 11 2020
accepted: 02 02 2021
pubmed: 20 2 2021
medline: 14 9 2021
entrez: 19 2 2021
Statut: ppublish

Résumé

It is commonly believed that blinding to treatment assignment is necessary for placebos to have an effect. However, placebos administered without concealment (ie, open-label placebos [OLPs]) have recently been shown to be effective in some conditions. This study had 2 objectives: first, to determine whether OLP treatment is superior to no-pill control (NPC) in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and, second, to compare the efficacy of OLP against double-blind placebo (DBP). In a 6-week, 3-arm, randomized clinical trial, participants were randomized in equal proportions to 3 arms: OLP, DBP, or NPC. Two hundred sixty-two adults (72.9% women), with a mean age of 42.0 (SD = 18.1) years, participated in the primary study. The mean improvement on the IBS Severity Scoring System from baseline to the 6-week end point was significantly greater in OLP compared with that in NPC (90.6 vs 52.3, P = 0.038). Open-label placebo and DBP did not differ significantly on IBS Severity Scoring System improvement (100.3 vs 90.6, P = 0.485). Standardized effect sizes were moderate for OLP vs NPC (d = 0.43) and small for OLP vs DBP (d = 0.10). Participants treated with OLP reported clinically meaningful improvements in IBS symptoms that were significantly greater than those on NPC. Open-label placebo and DBP had similar effects that did not differ significantly, suggesting that blinding may not be necessary for placebos to be effective and that OLP could play a role in the management of patients with refractory IBS.

Identifiants

pubmed: 33605656
doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002234
pii: 00006396-202109000-00013
pmc: PMC8357842
mid: NIHMS1672741
doi:

Banques de données

ClinicalTrials.gov
['NCT02802241']

Types de publication

Journal Article Randomized Controlled Trial Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

2428-2435

Subventions

Organisme : NCCIH NIH HHS
ID : R01 AT008573
Pays : United States
Organisme : NCCIH NIH HHS
ID : T32 AT000051
Pays : United States

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2021 International Association for the Study of Pain.

Références

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Auteurs

Anthony Lembo (A)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

John M Kelley (JM)

Department of Psychology, Endicott College, Beverly, MA, United States.
Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Judy Nee (J)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Sarah Ballou (S)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Johanna Iturrino (J)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Vivian Cheng (V)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Vikram Rangan (V)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Jesse Katon (J)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

William Hirsch (W)

Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Irving Kirsch (I)

Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Kathryn Hall (K)

Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Roger B Davis (RB)

Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Ted J Kaptchuk (TJ)

Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

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