Silicea Gastrointestinal Gel might be suitable for uses extending beyond treatment of acute gastrointestinal disorders caused by pathogens. Improvement of various gastrointestinal symptoms in the course of treatment was documented for all patient subgroups, especially in patients suffering from GERD and IBS. Diarrhea without cramps was the single symptom which showed the most significant improvements.
The maximum effect was observed after several weeks of treatment, with a marked improvement frequently noticeable already after 3 weeks; a further improvement was seen after 6 weeks, and it was observed that there was a progressive reduction of symptoms during treatment until the end of the observation period.
It is remarkable that responder rates of approximately 30–50% were found in patients who have suffered for years from functional gastrointestinal disorders which might be regarded as therapy-refractory. These patients are highly gratifying for such a simple and well-tolerated medical device. We cannot exclude the results as mainly driven by unspecific placebo-effects.
Thus the results of this prospective, observational pilot study forma valuable basis for conducting more comprehensive controlled studies in patients with functional gastrointestinal diseases, focusing on diarrhea, GERD, and IBS.
