What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine if adding hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to usual care helps treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and reduces its recurrence rate.
What They Found
This review included 29 studies with 2151 patients, primarily with ulcerative colitis (UC). For UC patients, adding HBOT to usual care increased the likelihood of a clinical response by 24% (risk ratio 1.24) compared to usual care alone. HBOT also reduced the recurrence rate of IBD by 65% (risk ratio 0.35), and no severe adverse events were observed.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
If these findings are confirmed, Canadian patients with IBD, particularly UC, might benefit from HBOT as an additional treatment to improve their condition and prevent flare-ups. This could offer a new option for managing a chronic and often debilitating disease.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
The study was limited by the lack of randomized data for Crohn's disease and the varied nature of the included studies, which required a random-effects model.