Patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] increasingly use alternative and complementary therapies, for which appropriate evidence is often lacking. It is estimated that up to half of all patients with IBD use various forms of complementary and alternative medicine during some point in their disease course. Considering the frequent use of such therapies, it is crucial that physicians and patients are informed about their efficacy and safety in order to provide guidance and evidence-based advice. Additionally, increasing evidence suggests that some psychotherapies and mind-body interventions may be beneficial in the management of IBD, but their best use remains a matter of research. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of some of the most commonly used complementary, alternative and psychotherapy interventions in IBD.
At 20 years after IBD diagnosis, fatigue scores were higher and chronic fatigue was more frequent among IBD patients with active disease than in the reference population and among those with quiescent IBD. Subjectively perceived disease activity, sleep quality, anxiety and depression were associated with fatigue in IBD patients.
Use of CAM was common among IBD patients attending outpatient clinics. Both demographic and clinical factors were associated to CAM use, but the factors differed in their significance for UC and CD.
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