Embargoed for Release Until: Monday, October 16, 2000
Contact: Sharon Burns 202-973-2934
Stacey Ward 202-973-5879[email protected]
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Found to be Under-diagnosedIndividuals with IBS Experience Diminished Quality of Life
NEW YORK (October 16, 2000) -- Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN, surveyed 1,032 health maintenance organization (HMO) participants and found that patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have a significantly lower quality of life than patients without IBS.
IBS is a common medical disorder usually involving abdominal pain, bloating and constipation, diarrhea or both in alternating patterns that is diagnosed when a patient has a cluster of symptoms that cannot be attributed to a specific disease for which diagnostic tests exist. The research findings were released at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), October 16 -- 18th.
"Whereas patients with IBS did not differ from the other participants in terms of demographic variables such as age, race, marital status, sex, education, and income, the IBS patients had significantly lower scores on quality of life measures," said Vanderbilt's lead investigator Glenn M. Eisen, M.D. "Our results indicate that IBS sufferers have more frequent and severe physical and mental health complaints."
Researchers found that 9 percent of a random sample of 1,032 participants enrolled in the Lovelace Health Plan HMO met the criteria for IBS. The syndrome was diagnosed using Rome criteria, a list of symptoms (such as abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits) that was developed based on results from clinical and epidemiological studies (and known as the Rome criteria).
For the Vanderbilt study, trained personnel used the Rome criteria to assess telephone survey participants. In addition, participants were evaluated for physical and mental health status with standardized instruments. When the telephone survey was completed, patient records from the HMO provided diagnoses for inpatient and outpatient visits for the year preceding the survey.
The data indicates that primary care physicians underdiagnose Irritable Bowel Syndrome. "We were somewhat surprised to learn that of the 94 patients who met the Rome criteria for IBS, 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 primary care physicians to diagnose these patients and commence appropriate treatment." These data also infer that gastroenterologists need to educate primary care physicians about both the diagnosis and management of IBS in order to maximize patient satisfaction for these IBS patients.
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The ACG was formed in 1932 to advance the scientific study and medical treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The College promotes the highest standards in medical education and is guided by its commitment to meeting the needs of clinical gastroenterology practitioners. Consumers can get more information on gastrointestinal disorders through the following ACG-sponsored programs:
* 1-800-978-7666 (free brochures on common gastrointestinal disorders, including ulcers, colon cancer, gallstones, and liver disease)* 1-800-HRT-BURN (free brochure and video on heartburn and GERD) * www.acg.gi.org (ACG's Web site).
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