Stability of the irritable bowel syndrome and subgroups as measured by three diagnostic criteria - a 10-year follow-up study.
BACKGROUND
The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder, but information on its natural history is limited.


OBJECTIVE
To study the performance of four IBS criteria in detecting incidence and stability of categories over a 10-year period.


METHODS
This study was a population-based postal study. Questionnaire was mailed to the same age- and gender-stratified random sample of the Icelandic population aged 18-75 years in 1996 and again in 2006. IBS was estimated by the Manning criteria, Rome II, Rome III, subgroups and self-report.


RESULTS
Prevalence of IBS varied according to criteria: Manning showed the highest (32%) and Rome II the lowest (5%). Younger subjects and females were more likely to have IBS. Prevalence was stable over 10 years for all criteria except Rome III. There was a turnover in all IBS subgroups and a strong correlation among IBS, functional dyspepsia and heartburn.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of the IBS remained stable over a 10-year period with a turnover in symptoms. The study suggests that IBS is a cluster of symptoms that float in time between different IBS categories, functional dyspepsia and heartburn. The irritable bowel syndrome in Iceland is very common and indicates a chronic condition, which poses a heavy burden on the health care system.
Olafsdottir
L B
LB
Department of Gastroenterology, Landspitali, Reykjavik, Iceland. linda04@ru.is
Gudjonsson
H
H
Jonsdottir
H H
HH
Thjodleifsson
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors