Authors: Wilson S, Roberts L, Roalfe A, Bridge P, Singh S.

Institution: Department of Primary Care and General Practice, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston. s.wilson@bham.ac.uk

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common health problem affecting a substantial proportion of the population. Many individuals with symptoms of IBS do not seek medical attention or have stopped consulting because of disillusionment with current treatment options. Such patients may choose to re-consult with the advent of new therapies with a resulting impact on health services. AIM: To generate reliable estimates of the prevalence of IBS by age, sex and symptom group.

Conclusion: Quality of life was significantly reduced in patients with IBS. There is a substantial burden on primary healthcare services despite over half of those with symptoms also self- medicating. The Rome II diagnostic criteria identified those most affected by their symptoms and are a valid clinical tool. Population-based health surveys will need to supplement the Rome criteria with questions aiming to identify patients formally diagnosed but whose symptoms are currently under control if prevalence is to be reliably estimated.

Study link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15239910&query_hl=33&itool=pubmed_docsum

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