IBS Onset Study Reveals Patterns

A study recently published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology is one of the few that attempts to explain onset of IBS. The long-term study included 3,873 people, 214 of which showed IBS symptoms at the beginning of the study and 686 which did so at the ten-year follow-up. Fifteen percent of the people who did not have IBS symptoms initially developed them within the ten-year period, and 67% of those with IBS symptoms continued to have their symptoms after ten years. Based on these data, almost 1.5% of the general population each year develops symptoms that suggest IBS, while 3% of patients with IBS stop having symptoms each year. The researchers concluded that lower quality of life, indigestion at the baseline, and female gender are significant risk factors for developing IBS. This study reiterates the fact that only 17% (113 of the 651) of individuals who had IBS at the beginning or who developed IBS during the study sought medical attention for their symptoms. American Journal of Gastroenterology, March 26, 2008
2008-05-06 13:23:06