title: Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of hypnosis in adult irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of hypnosis in adult irritable bowel syndrome by a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies were identified by a literature search of the databases Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus (from inception to June 30, 2013). Primary outcomes were adequate symptom relief, global gastrointestinal score, and safety. Summary relative risks (RRs) with number needed to treat (NNT) and standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using random-effects models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight randomized controlled trials with a total of 464 patients and a median of 8.5 (7-12) hypnosis sessions over a median of 12 (5-12) weeks were included into the analysis. At the end of therapy, hypnosis was superior to control conditions in producing adequate symptom relief (RR, 1.69 [95% CI = 1.14-2.51]; NNT, 5 [3-10]) and in reducing global gastrointestinal score (SMD, 0.32 [95% CI = -0.56 to -0.08]). At long-term follow-up, hypnosis was superior to controls in adequate symptom relief (RR, 2.17 [95% CI = 1.22-3.87]; NNT, 3 [2-10]), but not in reducing global gastrointestinal score (SMD, -0.57 [-1.40 to 0.26]). One (0.4%) of 238 patients in the hypnosis group dropped out due to an adverse event (panic attack).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis demonstrated that hypnosis was safe and provided long-term adequate symptom relief in 54% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome refractory to conventional therapy.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics (R.S.), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine (P.K.), Kliniken Essen-Mitte, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine III (G.M.), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Internal Medicine I (W.H.), Klinikum Saarbrücken, Saarbrücken, Germany; and Department of Psychosomatic Medicine (W.H.), Technische Universität München, München, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schaefert
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klose
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Winfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Häuser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015982:Bias; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000209:etiology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome