Psychological factors in irritable bowel syndrome: a population-based study of patients, non-patients and controls.
BACKGROUND
It has been suggested that psychopathology in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients is a function of patient status rather than of the disease. Although there are many studies comparing IBS patients, IBS non-patients, and controls with each other, no previous study has recruited all three groups from a representative community sample and had all subjects diagnosed by a physician. In the present study we aimed to compare psychological factors in IBS patients, IBS non-patients, and normal controls in a sample recruited from the population.


METHODS
Subjects aged 18-45 years were recruited from a random sample of the normal population. Seventeen (2 M and 15 F) IBS patients were matched by sex and age with IBS non-patients and normals. Measures of personality traits, interpersonal distress, and temporary psychological distress were used. A physician diagnosed all 51 subjects in order to exclude possible gastrointestinal diagnoses other than IBS.


RESULTS
Controls often differed from IBS non-patients and patients on the personality, interpersonal, and psychological distress measures, while IBS non-patients and patients very rarely differed from each other. All three groups were non-alexithymic.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that there are psychopathological differences between normals and IBS persons (patients and non-patients), but they could not confirm that psychopathology was a function of patient status. Whether this psychopathology is a vulnerability factor for IBS, or a consequence of it, remains to be studied.
Weinryb
R M
RM
Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychotherapy Section, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. robert.weinryb@cns.ki.se
Osterberg
E
E
Blomquist
L
L
Hultcrantz
R
R
Krakau
I
I
Asberg
M
M
D000328:Adult; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests