title: Psychosocial impact of irritable bowel syndrome: A brief review.
abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of the gastrointestinal tract with unclear etiology and no reliable biomarker. Like other chronic and functional disorders, medical treatments for IBS are suboptimal and the overall illness burden is high. Patients with IBS report high rates of psychopathology, low quality of life, and increased suicidal ideation. These patients also miss more days of work, are less productive at work, and use many healthcare resources. However, little is known about the burden of IBS on daily functioning. The primary aim of this paper is to review the current literature on the burden of IBS and to highlight the need for further research to evaluate the impact of IBS on daily activities. This research would contribute to our existing understanding of the impact of IBS on overall quality of life and well-being.
authors.affiliation: Sarah Ballou, Alyse Bedell, Laurie Keefer, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ballou
authors.affiliation: Sarah Ballou, Alyse Bedell, Laurie Keefer, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.
authors.forename: Alyse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bedell
authors.affiliation: Sarah Ballou, Alyse Bedell, Laurie Keefer, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keefer
keywords: Biopsychosocial; Burden of illness; Daily activities; Irritable bowel syndrome; Quality of life