title: Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: 2-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A recent randomised controlled trial (RCT) of acupuncture as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) demonstrated sustained benefits over a period of 12 months post-randomisation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To extend the trial follow-up to evaluate the effects of acupuncture at 24 months post-randomisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients in primary care with ongoing IBS were recruited to a two-arm pragmatic RCT of acupuncture for IBS. Participants were randomised to the offer of up to 10 weekly sessions of acupuncture plus usual care (n=116 patients) or to continue with usual care alone (n=117). The primary outcome was the self-reported IBS symptom severity score (IBS SSS) measured at 24 months post-randomisation. Analysis was by intention-to-treat using an unstructured multivariate linear model incorporating all repeated measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 61%. The adjusted difference in mean IBS SSS at 24 months was -18.28 (95% CI -40.95 to 4.40) in favour of the acupuncture arm. Differences at earlier time points estimated from the multivariate model were: -27.27 (-47.69 to -6.86) at 3 months; -23.69 (-45.17 to -2.21) at 6 months; -24.09 (-45.59 to -2.59) at 9 months; and -23.06 (-44.52 to -1.59) at 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were no statistically significant differences between the acupuncture and usual care groups in IBS SSS at 24 months post-randomisation, and the point estimate for the mean difference was approximately 80% of the size of the statistically significant results seen at 6, 9 and 12 months.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ISRCTN08827905.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: MacPherson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tilbrook
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Kings College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Agbedjro
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frost
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D057194:Intention to Treat Analysis; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: ACUPUNCTURE; GASTROENTEROLOGY); PRIMARY CARE