Emotional stress reactivity in irritable bowel syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been proposed to be a stress-related disorder. Research on stress reactivity in IBS has yielded ambiguous results, regarding responses to physical and mental stress. This study aimed to investigate the responses to emotional stress in IBS patients.


METHODS
Twelve IBS patients and 12 healthy individuals underwent public speaking anticipation as an emotional stressor and a control situation. Stress reactivity was quantified by subjective and psychophysiological measures.


RESULTS
Stress responses were elicited in healthy controls and IBS patients. Differential stress responses were observed in measurements of heart rate. There was no change in rectal sensitivity under stress, whereas patients exhibited lower discomfort thresholds than healthy controls in all conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
This study measured reactivity to an emotional stressor in IBS. It provides evidence that there is a specific alteration of stress responses in IBS patients, but no overall exaggerated stress response. IBS patients showed a broader and less specific response to emotional stress than healthy controls. Rectal sensitivity was unchanged under emotional stress both in IBS patients and healthy controls.
Bach
Dominik R
DR
Department of Medicine, Division Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany.
Erdmann
Gisela
G
Schmidtmann
Marco
M
Mönnikes
Hubert
H
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017288:Pain Threshold; D012007:Rectum / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013060:Speech; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*