Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome among psychiatric patients

Abstract

Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal illness characterized by abdominal pain, bloating and bowel disturbance, which may either be constipation or diarrhea with no detectable organic
pathologic process. About 70-90% of patients with IBS have psychiatric comorbidity, such as depression, anxiety disorders, sexual dysfunction and somatoform disorders. Many studies had been conducted on the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in patients with IBS, but few had been conducted on the reverse.
Methods: This was a descriptive study that was carried out in the  psychiatric wards of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. After obtaining an informed concept from each patient,
a structured questionnaire was administered. Rome III criteria was used to determine those who have IBS.
Results: A total of 93 subjects, comprising 47 (50.5%) males and 46 (49.5%) females participated in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 33±4.1 years and the age range was 16 to 80 years. The most  common psychiatric diagnosis in the subjects was schizophrenia, which was diagnosed in 51 (54.8%) subjects. Using the Rome III criteria, only eight (8.6%) subjects satisfied at least two out of the three criteria required for the diagnosis of IBS. Out of this, five (62.5%) were females and three (37.5%) were males. Six (75%) of the subjects with irritable bowel  syndrome had schizophrenia.
Conclusion: This study has shown that IBS is common among psychiatric patients, especially those with schizophrenia. So, information about  gastrointestinal symptoms should always be sought from this category
of patients, since they may not volunteer this information on their own.

Keywords: Prevalence, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Psychiatry