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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
10:37
Perturbations of Circulating miRNAs in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Detected Using a Multiplexed High-throughput Gene Expression Platform
Published on: November 30, 2016
Irritable bowel syndrome: a co-twin control analysis.
Mary K Wojczynski1, Kari E North, Nancy L Pedersen
1Department of Biostatistics, Section on Statistical Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology
|September 28, 2007
Summary
Genetic and environmental factors do not explain the link between major depressive disorder (MDD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). One condition may be part of the biological pathway for the other, suggesting a shared underlying mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Gastroenterology
- Twin Studies
Background:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) frequently co-occur.
- The underlying reasons for this comorbidity, particularly the roles of familial and environmental influences, are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential genetic and familial environmental contributions to the co-occurrence of MDD and IBS.
- To examine the association between MDD and IBS in a population-based twin registry.
Main Methods:
- A nested case-control and co-twin control analysis were performed using data from the Swedish Twin Registry.
- IBS and MDD diagnoses were established using adapted Rome II criteria and a shortened Diagnostic Interview, respectively.
- Statistical analyses included generalized estimating equations and conditional logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Individuals with IBS showed a significantly increased odds of having MDD (OR 2.7).
- The co-twin analysis revealed a similar association (OR 2.2), with a stronger link observed among monozygotic twins (OR 3.2).
- Comorbid chronic widespread pain and fatigue-like illness were also more common in IBS cases.
Conclusions:
- The study found no evidence supporting genetic or shared family environmental factors as explanations for the MDD-IBS association.
- The findings suggest that MDD and IBS may be linked through a shared biological disease pathway, where one condition influences the development of the other.
- The temporal relationship between the onset of MDD and IBS could not be determined in this study.
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