Non-pharmacological interventions to manage fatigue in adults with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and purpose: The prevalence of fatigue is higher in adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There is limited information on the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions to manage fatigue. The purposes of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions to manage fatigue in adults with IBD.

Materials and methods: A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was used to compute metaanalysis.

Results: Eleven studies were included in the review. The interventions to manage fatigue included problem-solving therapy, solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducational intervention, exercise advice with omega-3 supplements, electro-acupuncture, and AndoSan. The pooled evidence from the metaanalysis demonstrated that non-pharmacological interventions could decrease IBDFatigue (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI [0.10, 0.55], p = 0.005).

Conclusion: The pooled data indicate that non-pharmacological interventions are helpful in managing IBD-Fatigue. Additionally, the non-pharmacological interventions reviewed could be utilized to promote self-management in IBD.

Keywords: Fatigue; Inflammatory bowel disease; Meta-analysis; Non-pharmacological interventions; Systematic review.