Premium
A controlled trial of ondansetron in the pruritus of cholestasis
Author(s) -
O'Donohue J. W.,
Pereira S. P.,
Ashdown A. C.,
Haigh C. G.,
Wilkinson J. R.,
Williams R.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02430.x
Subject(s) - ondansetron , medicine , scratching , visual analogue scale , placebo , anesthesia , cholestasis , antagonist , bolus (digestion) , nausea , receptor , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , acoustics
Background : In patients with pruritus of cholestasis, response to conventional drug treatment may be unsatisfactory. Activation of 5‐hydroxytryptamine receptors on dermal sensory nerve‐endings plays a role in the perception of pruritus. The 5‐hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor antagonist, ondansetron, has been used in the treatment of pruritus of cholestasis, but there are few controlled data. Aim : To determine whether ondansetron is effective in treating the pruritus of cholestasis. Methods : A total of 19 patients with resistant pruritus were randomized, double blind, to receive either ondansetron 8 mg or placebo as a single intravenous bolus, followed by oral ondansetron 8 mg or placebo twice daily for 5 days. Patients’ perception of pruritus was recorded hourly using a visual analogue scale, and scratching activity measured by means of a piezo‐electric crystal attached to the fingernail. Results : Mean pruritus score using visual analogue scale and scratching activity were reduced on the first treatment day compared with baseline in both the ondansetron and placebo groups ( P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in mean pruritus perception or scratching activity between the two groups. Conclusion : Ondansetron was of no benefit in this group of pruritic patients during short‐term treatment.