The Frequency and Related Factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Health Check up Subjects

Hwang, Sang Yon; Choi, Chang Hwan; Rhie, Su Yeon; Do, Mi Young; Lee, Seong Hyun; Kim, Hyung Joon; Kim, Jung Uk; Kim, Jae Kyu; Chang, Sae Kyung; Park, Sil Moo; Gham, Chang Woo; Han, Ki Joon; Cho, Hyeon Geun

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common health problem affecting a substantial proportion of the population. The aims of this study were to evaluate the frequency of IBS that satisfied the ROME II criteria and to analyze the factors that could be associated with the frequency of IBS in subjects who underwent health check-ups in South Korea.
METHODS
We included a total of 2345 (76.1%) subjects among the 3083 subjects who visited the Health Promotion Center of Kwandong University College of Medicine, Myongji hospital from March 2005 through August 2005. They were interviewed by using a questionnaire that was comprised of the demographic features, the ROME II criteria and the probable associated factors. The frequency of IBS was analyzed according to various factors such as the demographic characteristics, the past history, the body mass indexes (BMI), blood tests and the endoscopic and abdominal sonographic findings.
RESULTS
The frequency of IBS was 8.3% (7.9% in males and 8.8% in females). Of the IBS patients, 30.8% had characteristics of diarrhea-predominance, 23.6% had characteristics of constipation-predominan while 45.6% had alternating symptoms. The most frequent symptom was a sense of incomplete evacuation (60.0%), followed by bloating or distention (54.9%), straining (36.9%), urgency (29.7%), and mucus in stool (9.2%). The frequency of IBS was significantly higher for the younger age subjects (age<35) and for the under-weight subjects (BMI<18.5), and these were the factors independently related with the presence of IBS on logistic regression analysis. The frequencies of IBS were not different in terms of gender, area of residence, occupation, smoking, alcohol intake, the diabetes mellitus and hypertension histories, anemia, ABO blood groups, Helicobacter pylori infection and the presence of reflux esophagitis, peptic ulcer or fatty liver disease.
CONCLUSIONS
The frequency of IBS was 8.3%, according to the ROME II criteria, in the subjects who underwent health-check ups in our region. IBS was more common in the younger age subjects and the under-weight people.