Randomised controlled trials (RCT) in adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease comparing cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors with placebo were eligible for inclusion. Diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease was defined by a combination of clinical , radiographic, endoscopic and histological criteria. Diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease was required to be at least four weeks duration.
In included trials, patients ranged in age between 18 and 75 years old. One study randomised participants to etoricoxib 60-120mg/d for three months, while the other trial used oral celecoxib 200mg or placebo twice a day for 14 days. The etoricoxib trial included patients with both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, while the celecoxib trial included patients with ulcerative colitis only.
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.