ArticlePloS one2025
Oral bowel cleansers and ischemic colitis risk: A real-world disproportionality analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Senna Laxative-Associated Severe Ischemic Bowel Disease in an 87-Year-Old Patient: A Clinical Warning.Cureus · 2026Article
- Association of Initial Laxative Strategy With Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Cardiovascular therapeutics · 2026Article
- Ischemic colitis in a child: a case report and narrative review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIschemic colitis (IC) is a serious but underrecognized complication potentially associated with bowel preparation. While previous studies have reported sporadic cases, the true frequency and drug-specific associations remain unclear. This study evaluates the association between oral bowel cleansers and IC using real-world pharmacovigilance data.
methodsWe conducted a disproportionality analysis using 20 years of data (2004-2024) from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). IC cases linked to bisacodyl, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and oral sulfate solution (OSS) were identified. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to explore factors associated with IC and serious clinical outcomes.
resultsAmong 43,958 adverse event reports related to bowel cleansers, 75 cases of IC were identified. Bisacodyl showed the strongest disproportionality signal for IC (reporting odds ratio (ROR) = 237.25), with a reporting proportion of 7.9%, followed by PEG (ROR = 2.18) and OSS (ROR = 3.64). Older age (≥70 years) and cardiovascular comorbidities were associated with more severe outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. Notably, reports of IC associated with PEG included six fatal and three life-threatening events.
conclusionsTo our knowledge, this is one of the largest pharmacovigilance analyses exploring ischemic colitis associated with bowel preparation agents. The findings raise concerns about the presumed safety of PEG and reveal a strong disproportionality signal for bisacodyl. These results highlight the need for individualized bowel preparation strategies, especially in elderly patients with comorbidities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.