[An epidemiologic study of functional bowel disorders in adolescents in China].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the most common bowel frequency and the prevalence rates of functional bowel disorders among adolescents in China.


METHODS
A questionnaire survey was conducted among 51,956 students from high and primary schools in 6 Chinese cities distributed in the whole China collected by stratified, randomized, cluster sampling to study the epidemiology of functional bowel disorders.


RESULTS
(1) 88.05% +/- 0.28% of the students had bowel frequency between 1 - 2 times/day and 1 time/two days. Girl students were found to have a lower bowel frequency than boy students (P < 0.01). (2) The prevalence rates of irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, and chronic diarrhea were 20.19% (10 490), 25.92% (13 467), and 8.77% (4557) respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) The normal bowel frequency among adolescents in China may be defined as bowel movements between 1 - 2 times per day and 1 time per two days. (2) Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation and chronic diarrhea are common disorders among the adolescents in China.
Zhou
Hui-Qing
HQ
Department of Gastroenterology, Xinhua Hospital, Medical College of Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092, China.
Li
Ding-Guo
DG
Song
Yan-Yan
YY
Zhong
Chun-Hua
CH
Hu
Yin
Y
Xu
Xiao-Xing
XX
Lu
Han-Ming
HM
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires