Alosetron improves quality of life in women with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of alosetron, a treatment recently approved in the United States for irritable bowel syndro me in diarrhea-predominant female patients, on health-related quality of li fe. METHODS: Quality of life was assessed as part of two 12-wk randomized, doub le-blind, placebo-controlled irritable bowel syndrome studies comparing alo setron I mg b.i.d. with placebo (S3BA3001 and S3BA3002). Patients completed a validated disease-specific quality of life questionnaire, the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life Questionnaire (IBSQOL), at baseline and at t he 12-wk or final visit. The clinical relevance of data were also evaluated by a minimal meaningful difference instrument. RESULTS: A total of 626 and 647 patients were enrolled in studies S3BA3001 and S3BA3002, respectively. Approximately 70% of patients in each study had diarrhea-predominant IBS. In diarrhea-predominant patients enrolled in S3B A3001, statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvements with alosetron ver sus placebo were observed on all nine IBSQOL scales (emotional health, ment al health, sleep, energy, physical functioning, food/diet, social functioni ng, role-physical, and sexual relations) and for all but one scale (mental health) in S3BA3002. In both studies, a significantly greater percentage of patients treated with alosetron (p < 0.05) experienced clinically meaningf ul improvement on three of the nine IBSQOL scales (food/diet, social functi oning, and role-physical) compared with patients treated with placebo. Pati ents treated with alosetron did not show worsening in any quality of life d omain compared with patients treated with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: These results in women with diarrhea-predominant IBS demonstra te that alosetron significantly improves health-related quality of life. (C ) 2001 by Am. Cell. of Gastroenterology.