title: Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder associated with abdominal pain or discomfort and altered bowel habits. The majority of patients describe an insidious onset of symptoms; however, a subset report a fairly precise time of onset following an attack of acute gastroenteritis. Typically, the potential acute infectious symptoms, such as fever and vomiting, resolve after several days, but abdominal discomfort, bloating, and diarrhea persist. Although the underlying mechanism of post-infectious IBS (PI-IBS) has not been established, ongoing inflammation appears to play a role, with an increase in serotonin-containing enterochromaffin cells, T lymphocytes, mast cells, proinflammatory cytokines, and intestinal permeability. Psychiatric comorbidities are less common in PI-IBS, compared with IBS patients in general; however, the prevalence of psychological disorders is still higher compared with that in the general population and is associated with a poorer prognosis. Overall, patients with PI-IBS have a slightly improved prognosis compared with those with IBS without an infectious onset.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0764, USA. awdupont@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Dupont
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D001691:Biological Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D004760:Enterocolitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal