title: Behaviorally treated irritable bowel syndrome patients: a four-year follow-up.
abstract: Nineteen of 27 patients suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) who had completed a multicomponent treatment involving progressive muscle relaxation, thermal biofeedback, cognitive therapy and IBS education were located and evaluated 4 yr posttreatment. Seventeen of 19 (89.5, or 63% of the total original sample) rated themselves as more than 50% improved. Six of the 12 patients (50%) who submitted symptom monitoring diaries met our criteria for clinical improvement, i.e. achieving at least a 50% reduction in primary IBS symptom scores. The means on all measures at long-term follow-up were lower than those obtained prior to treatment. When follow-up symptom means were compared with pretreatment means, significant (P less than 0.05) reductions were obtained on abdominal pain/tenderness, diarrhea, nausea, and flatulence.
authors.affiliation: Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, State University of New York, Albany 12203.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scharff
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Blanchard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012803:Sick Role