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Efficacy of Oral Psyllium in Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial.

  • 2022-09-22
  • Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition 76(1)
    • Jagadeesh Menon
    • Babu Ram Thapa
    • Rajni Kumari
    • Srikanth Puttaiah Kadyada
    • Satyavati Rana
    • Sadhna B Lal

Study Design

Type
Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
Sample size
n = 43
Population
81 children with pediatric irritable bowel syndrome
Methods
Double-blind randomized controlled trial, 4 weeks of psyllium husk vs placebo
Blinding
Double-blind
Duration
4 weeks
Funding
Unclear

Objective

Pediatric irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder with variable response to various therapeutic agents. Psyllium has been proven to be effective in adults; however, there is no study in children. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of psyllium husk as compared to placebo in pediatric IBS patients.

Methods

In this double-blind randomized controlled trial, 43 children were assigned to psyllium arm (Group A) and 38 into placebo arm (Group B). Severity is assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment using IBS severity scoring scale (IBS-SSS) and classified into mild, moderate, and severe categories. Categorical data was compared with chi-square test and paired categorical variable was compared with McNemer test.

Results

Mean ages (±SD; in years) of Groups A and B were 9.87 (2.7) and 9.82 (3.17), respectively, with median duration of illness of 12 months. At baseline, type, severity, and parameters (IBS-SSS) of IBS were equally distributed in 2 groups. There was a significant reduction in median interquartile range (IQR) of total IBS-SSS in psyllium versus placebo [75 (42.5-140) vs 225 (185-270); P < 0.001] at 4 weeks. Similarly 43.9% in Group A versus 9.7% in Group B attained remission [IBS-SSS < 75 ( P < 0.0001)]. The mean difference in IBS-SSS between Group A and Group B was -122.85 with risk ratio of 0.64 (95% CI; 0.42-0.83; P = 0.001) and absolute risk reduction of 32% (NNT = 3).

Conclusions

Psyllium husk is effective for the therapy of pediatric IBS when compared with placebo in short term.

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