# IBS Found to Be Underdiagnosed



## Brandi Guidry (Jul 9, 2000)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Found to BeUnderdiagnosedOctober 27, 2000MedscapeWirePatients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have a significantly lower quality oflife than patients without IBS, according to researchers at Vanderbilt UniversityMedical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The research findings were released atthe 65th Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) inNew York City."Whereas patients with IBS did not differ from the other participants in terms ofdemographic variables such as age, race, marital status, sex, education, andincome, the IBS patients had significantly lower scores on quality of life measures,"said lead investigator Glenn M. Eisen, MD. "Our results indicate that IBS sufferershave more frequent and severe physical and mental health complaints." Researchers found that 9% of a random sample of 1032 participants enrolled inthe Lovelace Health Plan HMO met the criteria for IBS. The syndrome wasdiagnosed using Rome criteria, a list of symptoms (such as abdominal pain,bloating, and changes in bowel habits) that was developed based on results fromclinical and epidemiological studies. For the Vanderbilt study, trained personnel used the Rome criteria to assesstelephone survey participants. In addition, participants were evaluated for physicaland mental health status with standardized instruments. When the telephone surveywas completed, patient records from the HMO provided diagnoses for inpatientand outpatient visits for the year preceding the survey. The data indicate that primary care physicians underdiagnose IBS. "We weresomewhat surprised to learn that of the 94 patients who met the Rome criteria forIBS, only four had been diagnosed by a physician during the past year," said Dr.Eisen. "This finding may indicate a need for greater diligence on the part of primarycare physicians to diagnose these patients and commence appropriate treatment."These data also imply that gastroenterologists need to educate primary carephysicians about both the diagnosis and management of IBS in order to maximizepatient satisfaction for these IBS patients.IBS is a common medical disorder usually involving abdominal pain, bloating andconstipation, and/or diarrhea in alternating patterns that is diagnosed when apatient has a cluster of symptoms that cannot be attributed to a specific disease forwhich diagnostic tests exist.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Thanks, Brandi. It's a shame that so many people go undiagnosed. Hopefully with more publicity that will get less and less common.







JeanG


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