Jones H et al. (2006) Treatment of non-cardiac chest pain: a controlled trial of hypnotherapy. Gut 55: 1403–1408

Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is a common, debilitating condition that causes considerable psychological distress, in part because it is notoriously difficult to treat. Previous studies have shown that other conditions that are similarly classed as functional gastrointestinal disorders—namely IBS and functional dyspepsia—respond well to hypnotherapy. Jones and colleagues have now investigated the efficacy of hypnotherapy for NCCP.

Patients with frequent angina-like chest pain (at least one episode per week), who had undergone a chest angiography with a normal result and did not have gastroesophageal reflux, were enrolled in this study. They were randomly assigned to receive hypnotherapy (15 patients) or supportive listening therapy plus placebo (13 patients) for 17 weeks, after a 4-week baseline monitoring period.

There was a markedly greater improvement in chest pain and quality-of-life measures in patients who received hypnotherapy compared with those who did not. In addition, hypnotherapy-treated patients also had a greater reduction in their use of concomitant medications. Anxiety and depression scores, and the frequency of chest pain, were not noticeably improved by either treatment regimen.

The authors conclude that hypnotherapy shows potential for patients with NCCP, and warrants investigation in larger studies that include a wider range of patients, such as those who have not undergone chest angiography for their symptoms.