title: Survey of clinical practice for irritable bowel syndrome in East asian countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sociocultural factors are important because their different effects on the features of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) between countries will provide clues towards solving this problem. The aims of this study were to depict the clinical realities of IBS in East Asian countries and test the hypothesis that the diagnosis and treatment of IBS differ between countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study participants were 251 physicians involved in the clinical practice of IBS at major institutions in Japan, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. The questionnaire contained 45 questions focused on the clinical practice of IBS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects in Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore accounted for 55.4, 17.9, 8.8, 8.0, 6.4 and 3.6% of the study cohort, respectively. Amongst East Asian physicians, the most important symptom was considered to be abdominal pain by 33.4%, whilst 24.3% regarded alternating diarrhea and constipation to be the most important symptoms. Total colonoscopy and histopathology use showed no difference among countries. Prescriptions given for mild (p < 0.0001), moderate (p < 0.0001), severe (p < 0.0001), intractable (p = 0.002), diarrheal (p < 0.0001) and constipating (p < 0.0001) patients with IBS significantly differed between the countries. Except for several minor points, IBS specialists showed no significant difference in their diagnosis and treatment of IBS when compared to nonspecialists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This survey provided data on the clinical treatment of IBS among East Asian countries. The results supported the hypothesis that the diagnosis and treatment of IBS differs between countries.
authors: Digestive Disease Center, CHA University School of Medicine and CHA University Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Fukudo
authors: Ki-Baik
authors: KB
authors: Hahm
authors: Qi
authors: Q
authors: Zhu
authors: Jose D
authors: JD
authors: Sollano
authors: Abdul A
authors: AA
authors: Rani
authors: Ari F
authors: AF
authors: Syam
authors: Udom
authors: U
authors: Kachintorn
authors: Hidekazu
authors: H
authors: Suzuki
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Kamiya
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Joh
authors: Kazuhiko
authors: K
authors: Uchiyama
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Naito
authors: Shin'ichi
authors: S
authors: Takahashi
authors: Yoshikazu
authors: Y
authors: Kinoshita
authors: Fumiaki
authors: F
authors: Ueno
authors: Hirokazu
authors: H
authors: Yamagami
authors: Francis K L
authors: FK
authors: Chan
authors: Kwong M
authors: KM
authors: Fock
authors: Tetsuo
authors: T
authors: Arakawa
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005762:Gastroenterology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D010679:Philippines / Q000208:ethnology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D012846:Singapore / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires