title: Efficacy of mesalazine in the treatment of symptomatic diverticular disease.
abstract: We aimed to improve symptoms by means of mesalazine in symptomatic colonic diverticular disease patients. One hundred seventy outpatients (98 M, 72 F; age, 67.1 years; range, 39-84 years) were assigned to four different schedules: rifaximin, 200 mg bid (Group R1: 39 pts), rifaximin, 400 mg bid (Group R2: 43 pts), mesalazine, 400 mg bid (Group M1: 40 pts), and mesalazine, 800 mg bid (Group M2: 48 pts), for 10 days per month. At baseline and after 3 months we recorded 11 clinical variables (upper/lower abdominal pain/discomfort, bloating, tenesmus, diarrhea, abdominal tenderness, fever, general illness, nausea, emesis, dysuria), scored from 0 = no symptoms to 3 = severe. The global symptomatic score was the sum of all symptom scores. After 3 months in all schedules but Group R1, 3 of the 11 symptoms improved (P < 0.03); the global score decreased in all groups but Group R1 (P < 0.0001). Mesalazine-treated patients had the lowest global score at 3 months (P < 0.001). Mesalazine is as effective as rifaximin (higher dosage schedule) for diminishing some symptoms, but it appears to be better than rifaximin for improving the global score in those patients.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Gastroenterology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. francesco.dimario@unipr.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Mario
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aragona
authors.forename: Gioacchino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leandro
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Comparato
authors.forename: Libera
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fanigliulo
authors.forename: Lucas G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Cavallaro
authors.forename: Giulia M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cavestro
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Iori
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maino
authors.forename: Alì M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Moussa
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gnocchi
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzocchi
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franzé
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004239:Diverticulitis, Colonic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D004241:Diverticulum, Colon / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D019804:Mesalamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012294:Rifamycins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000078262:Rifaximin; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D012294:Rifamycins; D019804:Mesalamine; D000078262:Rifaximin