Wasim Jafri, Javed Yakoob, Nadim Jafri, Mahesh Malooni, Hasnain Ali Shah, Saeed Hamid, Shahab Abid, Akbar S Hussainy.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome in patients evaluated for organic bowel pathology.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;14(7):438-9.

The aim of this communication was to describe the frequency of IBS and its symptomatology presenting with bowel problems in a tertiary care hospital. Case records of 770 patients were retrieved from the medical record department, evaluated for organic bowel problems from January 1995 to December 2000. Rome II criteria were used for the diagnosis of IBS and data was filled out in forms based on this criteria. The patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for IBS were 10 % (76/770) with males 58 % (44/76) and females 42 % (32/76). The age range was 16-74 years with mean age of 38 years. The duration of IBS symptoms varied from 3-6 months. In 75 % (57/76), abdominal pain was present with both diarrhea and constipation with 56 % (18/32) males and 44 % (14/32) females. It was associated with bloating which was aggravated post-meal and relieved by passage of flatus. Diarrhea was predominant in 14 % (11/76) and constipation in 3 % (2/76). The typical IBS symptoms were absent in 8 % (6/76). Alarm symptoms were noted in 26 % of these patients. Frequency of bowel movement varied from 2/week to 10/day. Anxiety and nonspecific aches and pains were seen in 64 % (47/76). There was lower abdominal tenderness in 28 % (21/76) and epigastric tenderness in 5 % (3/76). Laboratory examinations were normal except in 3 % (2/76) patients with low hemoglobin due to menstrual loss while cysts of Blastocystis hominis were noted in 14 % (10/76). Ultrasound of abdomen and pelvis, sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy with rectal biopsies were normal. In this study, 10 % of the patients investigated for organic bowel disease were diagnosed as having IBS using exclusion criteria.

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