Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41195604›Full record

ArticleJournal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition2026

Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine use in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Katharina Guilcher, Valerie Pittet, André Moser, Laetitia-Marie Petit, Klaas Heyland, Christian Braegger, Andreas Nydegger, Luca Garzoni, Susanne Schibli, Johannes Spalinger and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Katharina GuilcherDepartment of Pediatrics, Inselspital, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Valerie PittetDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté) - University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
André MoserCTU Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Laetitia-Marie PetitDivision of Pediatric Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Klaas HeylandDepartment of Pediatrics, Cantonal Hospital Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland.
Christian BraeggerDivision of Pediatric Gastroenterology, University Children's Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Andreas NydeggerDivision of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Luca GarzoniPediatric Gastroenterology, Clinique des Grangettes, Geneva, Switzerland.
Susanne SchibliDepartment of Pediatrics, Inselspital, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Johannes SpalingerDivision of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Franziska Righini-GrunderDivision of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Christiane SokollikDepartment of Pediatrics, Inselspital, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5992-8247
Swiss IBD Cohort Study Investigators

Funding

None
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) constitutes a challenging and long-lasting burden for pediatric patients. The management of IBD is multifaceted involving conventional medication but also dietary measures. An increasing number of patients are turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in their quest to alleviate IBD-related symptoms and improve their overall well-being. We therefore investigated the patterns of CAM use and associated patients' and disease characteristics to identify indicators of CAM use in pediatric IBD patients in Switzerland.

methodsPediatric and adolescent patients enrolled in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study, a nationwide prospective cohort study, completed a questionnaire about CAM and supplementation use as well as dietary restrictions. Associations of CAM use with disease characteristics including conventional medication and patient-recorded outcomes were analyzed.

resultsA total of 111 pediatric IBD patients (59 Crohn's disease, 41 ulcerative colitis, 11 IBD unclassified) answered the questionnaire. Sixty-five percent (72/111) of patients used at least one CAM since diagnosis, 73% (81/110) took vitamins and micronutrient supplements and 53% (59/111) followed dietary restrictions. The latter was in 68% self-imposed and significantly associated with CAM use in multivariable models (odds ratio [OR]: 4.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84-10.92). CAM use was not associated with IBD subtype, need for biologicals or extraintestinal manifestations. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and disease activity did not differ between CAM and no-CAM users.

conclusionCAM use as well as self-imposed dietary restrictions are frequent in IBD patients, whereby both are closely interrelated. While CAM users do not have higher HRQOL compared to no-CAM users, they subjectively report an improvement in health associated with CAM use.

Indexed as

Complementary TherapiesInflammatory Bowel DiseasesAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolColitis, UlcerativeCrohn DiseaseDietary SupplementsFemaleHumansMaleProspective StudiesQuality of LifeSurveys and QuestionnairesSwitzerlandbiologicalsCrohn′s diseasediettreatmentulcerative colitis

Identifiers

PMID41195604
PMCPMC12780483

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.