Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Perturbations of Circulating miRNAs in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Detected Using a Multiplexed High-throughput Gene Expression Platform
Published on: November 30, 2016
Determinants of quality of life in irritable bowel syndrome
Enrique Rey1, Monica Olga García-Alonso, Marta Moreno-Ortega
1Department of Digestive Diseases, Hospital Clinico San Carlos and School of Medicine, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. ereydiaz-rubio@sepd.es
Objectives:
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a main outcome in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but most studies have been conducted on moderate-severe patients. We sought to ascertain the relative contribution of severity, anxiety, and personality to impairment of HRQOL in a sample representative of the entire IBS spectrum.
Materials And Methods:
IBS consulters, IBS nonconsulters, and controls were invited to complete questionnaires designed to measure severity of IBS (Functional Bowel Disease Severity Index), anxiety (State-trait Anxiety Inventory), personality (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2), and HRQOL [Short Form 36 (SF-36)]. The SF-36 scores of the study groups were compared, and a multiple regression model was constructed.
Results:
Sixty-six IBS consulters, 70 nonconsulters, and 117 controls were studied. All 3 groups differed in terms of SF-36 physical (46.5+/-9.4 vs. 50.5+/-8.0 vs. 54.5+/-6.0) and mental composite scores (38.2+/-12.5 vs. 43.2+/-12.0 vs. 46.7+/-10.6). Although physical scores were linked to hypochondriasis (beta=-0.39; P<0.001), severity of pain (beta=-0.28; P<0.001), and age, mental scores were associated with state anxiety (beta=-0.36; P<0.001) and trait anxiety (beta=-0.40; P<0.001).
Conclusions:
HRQOL is impaired in all subgroups of IBS sufferers, with the degree of impairment depending mostly on symptom severity and psychologic factors (hypochondriasis and anxiety).
Related Concept Videos
01:23Irritable Bowel Syndrome
01:17Irritable Bowel Syndrome I: Introduction
IBS is a chronic condition that can persist over a long period or recur frequently.
The pathogenesis of IBS involves a complex interplay of the following factors:
Altered...
01:30Irritable Bowel Syndrome III: Medical and Nursing Management
01:30Irritable Bowel Syndrome II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Evaluation
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is classified into subtypes based on the predominant bowel habits as determined by the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS). The subtypes are:
01:17Chronic Bowel Disorders: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The distinctive feature is recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements, manifesting as constipation, diarrhea, or fluctuating between both. The...
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the colonic...