Prevalence of Eating Disorders Among Adults With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

To investigate the prevalence of eating disorder (ED) symptoms among Mexican adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The relationship between IBS and EDs is complex, yet understudied, particularly in Latin America.

In this cross-sectional study, 369 Mexican adults (18 to 69  y), comprising 133 IBS patients and 236 healthy controls (HCs), were evaluated using the Rome IV criteria, The Spanish version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q), the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Statistical analysis included the Student t test or the Wilcoxon Rank-sum test for group comparisons, the Kruskal-Wallis test for multiple comparisons, and logistic regression, with a significance threshold set at a P -value of <0.05.

IBS individuals were at an increased risk for clinically significant S-EDE-Q when compared with HCs (12.8% vs. 3.8%, odds ratio OR 3.6, 95% CI: 1.5-8.5; P =0.001), especially among younger individuals. IBS individuals displayed a higher risk for dietary restraint and heightened concerns about eating, body shape, and weight. In addition, binge-eating episodes occurred more frequently within the IBS group. Notably, there were no significant differences in body mass index between individuals with clinically significant S-EDE-Q and those with normal scores. IBS individuals with severe symptoms had higher S-EDE-Q scores; furthermore, those with IBS and clinically significant S-EDE-Q exhibited higher levels of anxiety and depression.

Our study reveals a significantly higher risk for ED in IBS individuals compared with HCs. This highlights the crucial importance of conducting ED screenings before dietary interventions, particularly among younger individuals and those displaying elevated levels of anxiety and depression.