Prevalence and predictors of irritable bowel syndrome in patients with morbid obesity: a cross-sectional study - PubMed (original) (raw)

Prevalence and predictors of irritable bowel syndrome in patients with morbid obesity: a cross-sectional study

Martin Aasbrenn et al. BMC Obes. 2017.

Abstract

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome has been reported as more common in patients with morbid obesity than in the general population. The reason for this association is unknown. The aims of this study were to study the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and other functional bowel disorders in patients with morbid obesity, and to search for predictors of irritable bowel syndrome.

Methods: Patients opting for bariatric surgery at two obesity centers in South-Eastern Norway were included. Functional bowel disorders were diagnosed according to the Rome III criteria. Predictors were evaluated in a multivariable logistic regression analysis with irritable bowel syndrome as the dependent variable.

Results: A total of 350 (58%) out of 603 consecutive patients were included. The prevalence rates of irritable bowel syndrome at the two centers were 17/211 (8%) and 37/139 (27%) respectively. High low-density lipoprotein (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.34-3.29), self-reported psychiatric disorders (OR 2.39; 95% CI 1.12-5.08) and center (OR 5.22; 95% CI 2.48-10.99) were independent predictors of irritable bowel syndrome.

Conclusions: At one of the two obesity centers, the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome was threefold higher than in the general population in the same region. The high prevalence appears to be related to dietary differences or altered absorption or metabolism of fat. Attention to irritable bowel syndrome is important in the care of patients with morbid obesity.

Keywords: Abdominal pain; Functional bowel disorders; Functional gastrointestinal disorders; Irritable bowel syndrome; Low-density lipoprotein; Morbid obesity.

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Authors’ information

Not applicable.

The study was approved by the Norwegian Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics, PB 1130, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway (reference numbers 2012/966 and 2013/1264) and performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was given by all participants before inclusion.

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Flow chart depicting inclusion of patients at the two obesity centres

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