In IBS, Comorbidities Should Be Addressed at Diagnosis

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is associated with various comorbidities, including psychosocial health problems, urogenital symptoms and infections, musculoskeletal symptoms, and other somatic symptoms, according to new study findings.

With this in mind, the authors of the study encourage clinicians to consider patients’ comorbidities— which may have important treatment implications—when diagnosing and managing irritable bowel syndrome.
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These findings emerged from a study of 13,701 Belgian primary care patients with an IBS diagnosis, matched controls without a gastrointestinal diagnosis, and matched controls with organic gastrointestinal disease. Patient data were obtained via Intego, a general practice registry in Flanders, Belgium.

Specifically, the researchers compared the long-term prevalence of 680 symptoms and diagnoses among patients and controls.

Functional enrichment analysis was used to summarize results, which were visualized in a network. In addition, incidence ratios were calculated in the 10 years before and after IBS diagnosis for the key components of the network.

Results of the study showed that various symptoms and infections—including psychosocial health problems, urogenital symptoms and infections, musculoskeletal symptoms, and other somatic symptoms—were more prevalent among patients with IBS compared with both control groups.

However, neoplasms were not found to be more prevalent among IBS patients vs controls.

The researchers noted that the incidence of these symptoms was uniform in the years before and after an IBS diagnosis and did not structurally precede or follow IBS.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Clevers E, Vaes B, Henrard S, et al. Health problems associated with irritable bowel syndrome: analysis of a primary care registry [Published online March 24, 2018]. Alimentary Pharmacol Ther. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14612

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