Sentiment analysis and topic modeling of social media data to explore public discourse on irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting 10-15% of the global population, characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits. This study aimed to analyze IBS-related discussions on X.com using sentiment analysis and topic modeling to understand patient experiences, concerns, and information needs from 2006 to 2024. A mixed-methods analysis of 12,345 IBS-related posts from X.com was conducted, collecting data using focused search terms ('IBS', 'irritable bowel syndrome', '#ibs', 'bowel syndrome'). After preprocessing, sentiment analysis was performed on 8,864 posts using the VADER algorithm. Topic modeling was conducted on 2,532 posts using Latent Dirichlet Allocation, focusing on posts with at least fifty words to ensure meaningful theme extraction. Sentiment analysis showed predominantly neutral (45.9%), positive (35.4%), and negative (18.7%) sentiments. Topic modeling revealed eight major themes: physical symptoms (15.6%), diet and triggers (15.1%), social support (14.2%), comorbidities (12.2%), research and treatment (12.2%), quality of life (12.0%), awareness (11.5%), and mental health (7.2%). Temporal analysis indicated increasing engagement with IBS-related content over time, suggesting growing public awareness and support needs. This study demonstrates the value of social media analysis in understanding IBS patient experiences and highlights the need for integrated care models addressing both physical and psychosocial aspects of the condition. The findings suggest healthcare providers should adopt more comprehensive, patient-centered approaches that consider the full spectrum of patient needs. Results underscore the importance of social media platforms in facilitating peer support and information sharing within the IBS community. Each identified theme offers specific clinical implications, from symptom management strategies to psychological support services. This study positions social media discourse analysis within the broader framework of patient-centered care, contributing to understanding how digital health communication can bridge the gap between clinical practice and lived patient experience in chronic illness.