Polar vectors as a method for evaluating the effectiveness of irritable bowel syndrome treatments: An analysis with pinaverium bromide 100mg plus simethicone 300mg po bid

Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort associated with changes in bowel habit. Currently there are no objective outcome measures for evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for this disorder. Aims: To determine the usefulness of a method of analysis that employs polar vectors to evaluate the effectiveness of IBS treatments. Methods: Data from a Phase IV clinical study with 1677 active IBS-Rome III patients who received 100 mg of pinaverium bromide + 300 mg of simethicone (PB + S) po bid for a period of four weeks were used for the analysis. Using the Bristol Stool Scale as a reference, the consistency and frequency of each type of bowel movement were recorded weekly in a Bristol Matrix (BM) and the data were expressed as polar vectors. Results: The analysis showed a differential response to the PB + S treatment among the IBS subtypes: in reference to the IBS with constipation subtype, the magnitude of the vector increased from 10.2 to 12.5, reaching maximum improvement at two weeks of treatment (p