Gut-Brain Interaction Disorders

Even though it seems counterintuitive, placebos work even when people know they’re placebos. That is, they work in adults. But what about the pediatric population? JAMA Pediatrics reports a small study of 30 children, 8 to 18 years old, with irritable bowel syndrome or functional abdominal pain. They were told what placebos were, and that they were being given a placebo. Mean pain scores were lower (significantly, 39.9 vs 45.0) during the open label placebo treatment than they were during the control period. Hyoscyamine, a rescue medication, was needed twice as often during control periods vs placebo periods.

“A significant placebo effect has been observed in double-blind clinical studies in children with disorders of gut-brain interaction. It’s widely believed that concealment or deception is required to elicit a placebo response, but our study shows that the open administration of a placebo treatment — i.e. non-concealed and without deception — is effective. The exact nature of the response is still not known, but my hope is to be able to understand the process so we’ll be able to harness it and use in routine clinical care.” said lead investigator Samuel Nurko, MD, MPH, of Boston Children’s Hospital.

 

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Other Categories:

• inflammatory bowel disease

• pediatric pain management

• pediatrics

• placebo

• research/study