ArticleTherapeutic advances in gastroenterology2016
What about clonidine for diarrhoea? A systematic review and meta-analysis of its effect in humans.
Article in Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Current and Future Therapeutic Options for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea and Functional Diarrhea.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2023Review
- Effects of α2-adrenoceptor stimulation on luminal alkalinisation and net fluid flux in rat duodenum.PloS one · 2022Article
- Antidiarrheal Effect ofEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Article
- Central catecholaminergic blockade with clonidine prevent SARS-CoV-2 complication: A case series.IDCases · 2021Article
- Joint Hypermobility Syndrome Affects Response to a Low Fermentable Oligosaccharide, Disaccharide, Monosaccharide and Polyol Diet in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: A Retrospective Study.Gastroenterology research · 2019Article
- Diabetes Mellitus and the Colon.Current treatment options in gastroenterology · 2017Review
- Targeting Small Bowel Receptors to Treat Constipation and Diarrhea.Current gastroenterology reports · 2017Review
- Spotlight on eluxadoline for the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea.Clinical and experimental gastroenterology · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundClonidine is considered an alternative treatment for refractory diarrhoea. The evidence in the literature is scarce and not conclusive. The present paper's purpose is to gather available evidence and provide a systematic answer regarding the effectiveness of clonidine for diarrhoea.
methodWe performed a systematic review of clonidine and its effect on diarrhoea. Meta-analysis was performed with a random effects model of the standardized mean difference (SMD) or the weighted mean difference and heterogeneity was quantified with I (2) and publication bias was assessed with Egger's and Begg's test. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were performed to investigate sources of heterogeneity. Any empirical study describing use of clonidine for diarrhoea in humans independent of age was included. For the meta-analysis, papers had to provide sufficient data to produce an effect measure, while case reports were not included in the meta-analysis and are discussed narratively only.
resultsA total of 24 trials and seven case reports were identified. Clonidine (median dose 300 μg/day) has been used for treatment of diarrhoea in irritable bowel syndrome, faecal incontinence, diabetes, withdrawal-associated diarrhoea, intestinal failure, neuroendocrine tumours and cholera; studies were also performed on healthy volunteers. Results indicate a strong effect of clonidine on diarrhoea (SMD = -1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.46 to -0.58) with a decrease of stool volume by 0.97 l/day, stool frequency by 0.4 times/day and increase in transit time by 31 minutes. In a sensitivity analysis of studies with functional diarrhoea and sample size over 10 subjects, the effect was similar -0.99 (95% CI -1.54 to -0.43). There is however significant heterogeneity and publication bias. Heterogeneity decreased in subgroup analyses by condition but not with other factors examined. A limitation of the present study includes small study effects.
conclusionClonidine is effective for treatment of diarrhoea and should be considered as an alternative when all other medications have failed.
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