title: Incidence and epidemiology of irritable bowel syndrome after a large waterborne outbreak of bacterial dysentery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) is a common clinical phenomenon. To better define its incidence and epidemiology, a large cohort study was initiated after the contamination of a municipal water supply led to a large outbreak of acute Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Local residents were invited to undergo structured assessments at research clinics established 2 years after the outbreak. Permanent adult residents with no prior history of inflammatory bowel disease or IBS were eligible. Standardized questionnaires defined past and current health. The cohort was divided into controls without gastroenteritis, subjects with clinically suspected gastroenteritis, and subjects with only self-reported gastroenteritis that could not be substantiated by another source. A modified Bowel Disease Questionnaire identified IBS according to Rome criteria. The incidence and epidemiology of PI-IBS was characterized. Risk factors were assessed using multiple logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 2069 eligible study participants. Rome I criteria were met by 71 of 701 controls (10.1%) vs 249 of 904 subjects with self-reported gastroenteritis (27.5%) and 168 of 464 subjects with clinically suspected gastroenteritis (36.2%) (all comparisons, P < 001). Independent risk factors for PI-IBS included younger age, female sex, bloody stools, abdominal cramps, weight loss, and prolonged diarrhea. PI-IBS was more likely than sporadic IBS to show diarrhea-predominant features.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PI-IBS is common after gastroenteritis from water contamination and often is diarrhea-predominant. Characteristics of the acute illness identify patients at increased risk for PI-IBS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. marshllj@mcmaster.ca
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Marroon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thabane
authors.forename: Amit X
authors.initials: AX
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004403:Dysentery / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires