Stability of the irritable bowel syndrome and subgroups as measured by three diagnostic criteria – a 10‐year follow‐up study

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 670–680

Summary

Background The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder, but information on its natural history is limited. Aim To study the performance of four IBS criteria in detecting incidence and stability of categories over a 10‐year period. Method This study was a population‐based postal study. Questionnaire was mailed to the same age‐ and gender‐stratified random sample of the Icelandic population aged 18–75 years in 1996 and again in 2006. IBS was estimated by the Manning criteria, Rome II, Rome III, subgroups and self‐report. Results Prevalence of IBS varied according to criteria: Manning showed the highest (32%) and Rome II the lowest (5%). Younger subjects and females were more likely to have IBS. Prevalence was stable over 10 years for all criteria except Rome III. There was a turnover in all IBS subgroups and a strong correlation among IBS, functional dyspepsia and heartburn. Conclusions The prevalence of the IBS remained stable over a 10‐year period with a turnover in symptoms. The study suggests that IBS is a cluster of symptoms that float in time between different IBS categories, functional dyspepsia and heartburn. The irritable bowel syndrome in Iceland is very common and indicates a chronic condition, which poses a heavy burden on the health care system.