Long-term improvement in functional dyspepsia using hypnotherapy.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Clinical Therapeutics

Background:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients show long-term benefits from hypnotherapy (HT).
• Functional Dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder impacting quality of life.
• The efficacy of HT in managing FD symptoms requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of hypnotherapy (HT) in treating functional dyspepsia (FD).
• To compare HT with supportive therapy and standard medical treatment for FD.
• To assess both short-term and long-term outcomes in FD patients receiving HT.

Main Methods:

• 126 FD patients were randomized into three groups: HT, supportive therapy with placebo, or medical treatment.
• Treatment duration was 16 weeks, with follow-up assessments at short-term (16 weeks) and long-term (56 weeks).
• Symptomatology changes and quality of life (QOL) were primary and secondary outcome measures, respectively.

Main Results:

• HT group showed greater short-term symptom improvement (59%) compared to supportive (41%) and medical treatment (33%) groups.
• Long-term, HT significantly improved symptoms (73%) versus supportive (34%) and medical treatment (43%) groups.
• HT led to significant QOL improvements (44%) compared to medical treatment (20%), with reduced medication use and fewer consultations.

Conclusions:

• Hypnotherapy (HT) is a highly effective treatment for the long-term management of functional dyspepsia (FD).
• HT offers significant advantages in reducing medication dependency and healthcare utilization for FD patients.
• The findings suggest HT provides substantial clinical and economic benefits for FD management.