# Anxiety increases IBS severity



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYIAnxiety increases IBS severity Anxiety-related hyperactivity of the brain may increase the severity and duration of irritable bowel syndrome, say researchers. Given that IBS severity is highly influenced by psychiatric comorbidity, they suggest that phobic anxiety in IBS patients may influence processing in the frontal brain and visceral sensitivity. Svein Blomhoff, from the National Hospital, Oslo, Norway, and colleagues recruited 11 female patients with IBS and comorbid phobic anxiety and compared them with 22 age-matched female patients with IBS but no comorbidity. The patients' event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded, along with their reaction to hearing words with emotional significance, barostat-assessed visceral sensitivity thresholds, and symptom thresholds. Patients with comorbid phobic anxiety had a significantly increased first negative (N1) ERP wave to all stimuli, compared with the noncomorbid group, the researchers report. This, they say, indicates an increased use of brain attentional resources. The comorbid group also had an increased visceral threshold for the sensation of gas, and a reduced gas-stool and gas-discomfort tolerance. Examining the data closely, the researchers found that enhanced N1 amplitude and reduced gas-stool tolerance were significantly correlated with subjective gas complaints, which accounted for 47% of the variation in symptoms. The researchers conclude: 'The study suggests an association between information processing in the frontal brain and visceral sensitivity characteristics in IBS patients, and indicates that subjective disease-related symptomatology is predicted by brain perceptual characteristics. 'The findings indicate that an interaction between IBS-related and anxiety-related hyperreactivity in the frontal brain may constitute a psychophysiological mechanism for the contribution of psychiatric comorbidity to severity and duration of the irritable bowel syndrome.' The study is published in Psychosomatic Medicine. Psychosom Med 2001; 63: 959ï¿½965 http://www.psychiatrymatters.md/internatio...381678328819444


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## california123 (Jun 8, 2003)

I guess that might explain why Xanax is so effective for some of us. Thanks.


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