title: Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome--a review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite considerable research efforts, the epidemiological characteristics of post-infectious symptoms of the irritable bowel syndrome-type (PI-IBS) are not yet well defined. Estimates of its incidence after gastrointestinal (GI) infection show considerable variation and the number of patients with a history of a GI infection among all patients with IBS is practically unknown. This review aims at summarizing published estimates (i) on the prevalence of PI-IBS among all IBS patients and (ii) on PI-IBS incidence after GI infection, critically discusses methodological differences that may explain the variation of the presented findings and gives an overview on currently identified risk factors for the development of PI-IBS.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic literature review was perfomed of studies indexed in PUBMED that assessed the epidemiology and risk factors of PI-IBS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reported incidence of PI-IBS ranges for epidemic infections between 7 and 36 %, for individual infections between 4 and 36 % and for traveller's diarrhea from 4 to 14 %. Estimates of the prevalence of PI-IBS range from as low as 7 % to more than ⅓ of all IBS patients, depending on the study design. The predictors and biomarkers are varying among the studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PI-IBS appears to be common following infectious enteritis and among all IBS patients, but precise estimates are still lacking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine VI: Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwille-Kiuntke
authors.forename: J-S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Frick
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zanger
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Enck
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004403:Dysentery / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014195:Travel