Gastrointestinal symptoms in the irritable bowel compared with peptic ulcer and inflammatory bowel disease.

Symptoms of 50 patients with the irritable bowel syndrome were compared with those of 49 with endoscopically proven peptic ulcer disease and 49 with radiologically or endoscopically proven inflammatory bowel disease using a questionnaire which was administered after the diagnosis was made. Symptoms of bowel dysfunction including pain related to bowel movements were more likely to occur in the irritable bowel syndrome than peptic ulcer disease. Only abdominal distension, straining at stool and scybala, however, were significantly more likely in the irritable bowel syndrome than inflammatory bowel disease. Four symptoms previously shown to be more common in irritable bowel syndrome than in organic abdominal disease were combined. The more of these symptoms that were present, the more likely were the patients to have the irritable bowel syndrome than peptic ulcer disease. Symptoms of gut dysfunction are highly discriminating between irritable bowel syndrome and peptic ulcer disease but less so between irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.     

Sobreposición entre los trastornos funcionales de dolor abdominal y enfermedades orgánicas en niños

Functional abdominal pain disorders are highly prevalent in children. These disorders can be present in isolation or combined with organic diseases, such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel diseases. Intestinal inflammation (infectious and non-infectious) predisposes children to the development of visceral hypersensitivity that can manifest as functional abdominal pain disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome. The new onset of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms in a patient with an underlying organic disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease, is clinically challenging, given that the same symptomatology may represent a flare-up of the inflammatory bowel disease or an overlapping functional abdominal pain disorder. Similarly, irritable bowel syndrome symptoms in a child previously diagnosed with celiac disease may occur due to poorly controlled celiac disease or the overlap with a functional abdominal pain disorder. There is little research on the overlap of functional abdominal disorders with organic diseases in children. Studies suggest that the overlap between functional abdominal pain disorders and inflammatory bowel disease is more common in adults than in children. The causes for these differences in prevalence are unknown. Only a handful of studies have been published on the overlap between celiac disease and functional abdominal pain disorders in children. The present article provides a review of the literature on the overlap between celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and functional abdominal pain disorders in children and establish comparisons with studies conducted on adults.     

Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is common. The symptom criteria for the diagnosis of IBS remain non specific. Similarly, pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis present with symptoms that may be similar to those of IBS. The site of pain, intermenstrual bleeding and exacerbation of symptoms by food may be able to help differentiate the two groups. However, there is still considerable overlap in the symptomatology of the two conditions and to this end both specialties should work together to investigate and manage these patients.     

Intestinal endometriosis: The great masquerader

Chronic symptoms of abdominal pain and irregular bowel habits in women evoke a broad differential diagnosis including irritable bowel syndrome, infection, malabsorption, and inflammatory bowel disease. Endometriosis, a common disorder in young women that can involve the intestinal tract, deserves consideration as well. Intestinal endometriosis is typically asymptomatic; however, when symptoms occur, they can mimic those of irritable bowel syndrome. Identifying intestinal endometriosis can be challenging, but historical points and key clinical features aid in diagnosis.     

Gynaecological consultation in patients with the irritable bowel syndrome.

A 12 month follow up study to assess the impact of symptoms suggestive of irritable bowel syndrome in women presenting to gynaecology clinics with pelvic pain is reported. Of 71 women 37 (52%) had symptoms suggestive of irritable bowel syndrome at presentation. A firm gynaecological diagnosis was reached in only three (8%) women positive for irritable bowel syndrome compared with 15 (44%) without (p = 0.002). After 12 months 24 (65%) women with irritable bowel syndrome were still symptomatic compared with 11 (32%) without (p = 0.01). This study shows that women with irritable bowel syndrome frequently attend gynaecological clinics but rarely have gynaecological pathology and the prognosis is poor in terms of resolution of their pain.     

Ileal perforation secondary to intestinal endometriosis

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. The bowel is not often affected. There are no specific clinical findings for intestinal endometriosis. It is typically asymptomatic, but sometimes can present with abdominal pain, diarrhoea, constipation or intestinal obstruction. Ileal perforation is a rare complication of intestinal endometriosis and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Intestinal endometriosis can mimic many gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, infections and neoplasms. The diagnosis is made by laparoscopy or laparotomy. We present a case of a woman with intermittent abdominal pain and ileal perforation secondary to intestinal endometriosis.     

What do patients with irritable bowel syndrome dream about? A comparison with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND: It is a common experience for people to dream of events about which they are either anxious or concerned. We therefore hypothesised that the dreams of patients with irritable bowel syndrome may reflect their worries about their problem especially as hospital out-patients with this disorder tend to exhibit some anxiety. In addition, dreaming about, for instance bowels, in patients with irritable bowel syndrome in excess of that observed in other gastrointestinal disorders may be of importance. AIM: To establish whether patients with irritable bowel syndrome dream about bowel-related issues more than controls or patients with inflammatory bowel disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 57 patients with irritable bowel syndrome and 57 patients with inflammatory bowel disease were compared with 60 healthy controls. All subjects completed a structured questionnaire concerning sleeping habits and dream characteristics as well as an assessment of anxiety and depression. RESULTS: There were no differences in the sleeping habits between any of the groups. However, significantly more patients with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease dreamt about their bowels (22% inflammatory bowel disease patients, 18% irritable bowel syndrome patients vs 3% of controls, p < 0.05 inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome vs controls) and soiling themselves (16% of inflammatory bowel disease patients, 14% of irritable bowel syndrome patients vs 2% of controls; p < 0.05 inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome vs controls) than controls. CONCLUSION: Chronic gastrointestinal disorders, of both a functional and organic nature, may influence the nature of dreams. In those patients who dream about their symptoms, it would be interesting to know whether this affects the course of their disease, either positively or negatively, in any way.     

The morphine-prostigmin provocative test--is it useful for making clinical decisions?

The morphine-Prostigmin test has been used to diagnose disease of the sphincter of Oddi in patients with chronic abdominal pain. A twofold rise in amylase or lipase levels, reproduction of abdominal pain or both have been considered positive responses. A positive morphine-Prostigmin test has been used as a justification for a sphincteroplasty, a surgical procedure with significant morbidity. Little data are available on the response of control populations to morphine-Prostigmin, or the reproducibility of this test on different days. Ten healthy volunteers, 5 patients with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and 4 patients with chronic abdominal pain were given the morphine-Prostigmin test. Sixty percent of our healthy control subjects and patients with the irritable bowel syndrome had a marked elevation in amylase and lipase. Forty percent of those with the irritable bowel syndrome had reproduction of their typical abdominal pain after morphine-Prostigmin. Two of four patients with chronic abdominal pain had a different response to morphine-Prostigmin on second as compared to initial testing. We conclude that: (a) neither enzyme rise nor reproduction of abdominal pain produced by morphine-Prostigmin are specific for disease of the sphincter of Oddi, and (b) the morphine-Prostigmin test may give different results on different days in the same patient. Major clinical decisions should not be made on the basis of this test.     

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome have greater pain tolerance than normal subjects

A low tolerance for pain has been postulated as a factor in the expression of symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. This has been based on previous work demonstrating reduced intestinal thresholds for rectal pain induced by balloon distention in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. As the disease may alter the rectal response to distention, inferences regarding pain perception and reporting behavior cannot be drawn from these data. In this study, using electrocutaneous stimulation, we found that patients with irritable bowel syndrome had pain reporting behavior comparable to patients with Crohn's disease. Both patient groups were less likely than normals to report a noxious stimulus as painful. This suggests that pain perception and reporting is attenuated in patients with chronic abdominal pain and, accordingly, a generalized reduction in the threshold for reporting pain is not a factor in the expression of symptoms in the irritable bowel syndrome.     

Functional Abdominal Pain

Functional abdominal pain syndrome (FAPS) is a relatively less common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder defined by the presence of constant or frequently recurring abdominal pain that is not associated with eating, change in bowel habits, or menstrual periods (Drossman Gastroenterology 130:1377–1390, 2006), which points to a more centrally targeted (spinal and supraspinal) basis for the symptoms. However, FAPS is frequently confused with irritable bowel syndrome and other functional GI disorders in which abdominal pain is associated with eating and bowel movements. FAPS also differs from chronic abdominal pain associated with entities such as chronic pancreatitis or chronic inflammatory bowel disease, in which the pain is associated with peripherally acting factors (eg, gut inflammation or injury). Given the central contribution to the pain experience, concomitant psychosocial disturbances are common and strongly influence the clinical expression of FAPS, which also by definition is associated with loss of daily functioning. These factors make it critical to use a biopsychosocial construct to understand and manage FAPS, because gut-directed treatments are usually not successful in managing this condition.     

Bowel endometriosis: Colorectal surgeon’s perspective in a multidisciplinary surgical team

Endometriosis is a gynecological condition that presents as endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus and induces a chronic inflammatory reaction. Up to 15% of women in their reproductive period are affected by this condition. Deep endometriosis is defined as endometriosis located more than 5 mm beneath the peritoneal surface. This type of endometriosis is mostly found on the uterosacral ligaments, inside the rectovaginal septum or vagina, in the rectosigmoid area, ovarian fossa, pelvic peritoneum, ureters, and bladder, causing a distortion of the pelvic anatomy. The frequency of bowel endometriosis is unknown, but in cases of bowel infiltration, about 90% are localized on the sigmoid colon or the rectum. Colorectal involvement results in alterations of bowel habits such as constipation, diarrhea, tenesmus, dyschezia, and, rarely, rectal bleeding. Differential diagnosis must be made in case of irritable bowel syndrome, solitary rectal ulcer syndrome, and a rectal tumor. A precise diagnosis about the presence, location, and extent of endometriosis is necessary to plan surgical treatment. Multidisciplinary laparoscopic treatment has become the standard of care. Depending on the size of the lesion and site of involvement, full-thickness disc excision or bowel resection needs to be performed by an experienced colorectal surgeon. Long-term outcomes, following bowel resection for severe endometriosis, regarding pain and recurrence rate are good with a pregnancy rate of 50%.     

Abdominal pain and bowel dysfunction: diagnostic role of intestinal ultrasound

BACKGROUND: Abdominal pain and irregular bowel habits are common among young people. Irritable bowel syndrome is frequent in the general population and has important economic and social costs. Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic processes with an acute or indolent onset in young people. Differential clinical diagnosis between irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease can be difficult since symptoms and signs are often non-specific. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of intestinal ultrasound, a non-invasive, simple and cheap diagnostic tool, in the differentiation between organic and functional bowel diseases. METHODS: Abdominal and intestinal ultrasound examinations were performed on 313 consecutive outpatients presenting with abdominal pain and irregular bowel habits lasting more than 3 months. These patients had no symptoms or signs indicative of organic disorders and no previous diagnosis of organic disease. An intestinal wall thickness of more than 7 mm was considered diagnostic for inflammatory bowel disease. Subsequently, we compared the ultrasound results with diagnoses obtained following the traditional criteria (radiological and endoscopic examinations). RESULTS: Intestinal ultrasound for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease showed 74% sensitivity, 98% specificity, a positive predictive value of 92% and a negative predictive value of 92%. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, intestinal ultrasound seems important as a first diagnostic tool in young patients without clear symptoms or signs of organic diseases, and can be used as an indication that subsequent invasive tests are required.     

Frequency of Mastalgia Among Women Veterans

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and frequency of mastalgia and its association with psychiatric conditions and unexplained pain syndromes.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional mailed survey completed by 1,219 female veterans enrolled at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in 1998.
MEASUREMENTS: Breast pain in the past year, unrelated to pregnancy, was categorized as infrequent (≤monthly) or frequent (≥weekly) mastalgia. Surveys assessed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, panic disorder, and alcohol misuse with validated screening tests, as well as self-reported past-year chronic pelvic pain, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome.
RESULTS: The response rate was 63%. Fifty-five percent of the respondents reported past-year mastalgia. Of these, 15% reported frequent mastalgia. Compared to women without mastalgia, women reporting frequent mastalgia were more likely to screen positive for PTSD (odds ratio [OR] 5.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.2 to 8.4), major depression (OR 4.2, 2.6 to 6.9), panic disorder (OR 7.1, 3.9 to 12.8), eating disorder (OR 2.6, 1.5 to 4.7), alcohol misuse (OR 1.8, 1.1 to 2.8), or domestic violence (OR 3.1, 1.9 to 5.0), and to report fibromyalgia (OR 3.9, 2.1 to 7.4), chronic pelvic pain (OR 5.4, 2.7 to 10.5), or irritable bowel syndrome (OR 2.8, 1.6 to 4.8). Women with infrequent mastalgia were also more likely than women without mastalgia to screen positive for PTSD, depression, or panic disorder, or report pelvic pain or irritable bowel syndrome, although associations were weaker than with frequent mastalgia.
CONCLUSIONS: Like other unexplained pain syndromes, frequent mastalgia is strongly associated with PTSD and other psychiatric conditions. Clinicians seeing patients with frequent mastalgia should inquire about anxiety, depression, alcohol misuse, and trauma history.     

Eradication of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

OBJECTIVES: Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common gastrointestinal diagnosis. The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are similar to those of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. The purpose of this study was to test whether overgrowth is associated with irritable bowel syndrome and whether treatment of overgrowth reduces their intestinal complaints. METHODS: Two hundred two subjects in a prospective database of subjects referred from the community undergoing a lactulose hydrogen breath test for assessment of overgrowth were Rome I criteria positive for irritable bowel syndrome. They were treated with open label antibiotics after positive breath test. Subjects returning for follow-up breath test to confirm eradication of overgrowth were also assessed. Subjects with inflammatory bowel disease, abdominal surgery, or subjects demonstrating rapid transit were excluded. Baseline and after treatment symptoms were rated on visual analog scales for bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, defecation relief, mucous, sensation of incomplete evacuation, straining, and urgency. Subjects were blinded to their breath test results until completion of the questionnaire. RESULTS: Of 202 irritable bowel syndrome patients, 157 (78%) had overgrowth. Of these, 47 had follow-up testing. Twenty-five of 47 follow-up subjects had eradication of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Comparison of those that eradicated to those that failed to eradicate revealed an improvement in irritable bowel syndrome symptoms with diarrhea and abdominal pain being statistically significant after Bonferroni correction (p < 0.05). Furthermore, 48% of eradicated subjects no longer met Rome criteria (chi2 = 12.0, p < 0.001). No difference was seen if eradication was not successful. CONCLUSIONS: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Eradication of the overgrowth eliminates irritable bowel syndrome by study criteria in 48% of subjects.     

Symptoms of psychologic distress associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Comparison of community and medical clinic samples

Women with symptoms indicative of irritable bowel syndrome who had not consulted a physician were compared with female patients at a gastroenterology clinic to investigate whether self-selection for treatment accounts for psychologic abnormalities in clinic patients' with irritable bowel syndrome. Two sets of diagnostic criteria were compared: restrictive criteria based on the work of Manning and conventional criteria (abdominal pain plus altered bowel habits). Lactose malabsorbers were included as a control group because they have medically explained bowel symptoms similar to those that define irritable bowel syndrome. Thus they control for the causative effects of chronic bowel symptoms on psychologic distress. Women who met restrictive criteria for irritable bowel syndrome but had not consulted a physician had no more symptoms of psychologic distress on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist than asymptomatic controls. However, medical clinic patients with both irritable bowel syndrome and lactose malabsorption had significantly more psychologic symptoms than asymptomatic controls or nonconsulters with the same diagnoses. Individuals who met only the conventional criteria for irritable bowel syndrome reported more psychologic distress than controls, whether or not they consulted a physician. These results suggest that (a) symptoms of psychologic distress are unrelated to irritable bowel syndrome but influence which patients consult a doctor and (b) conventional diagnostic criteria identify more psychologically distressed individuals than do restrictive criteria.     

Effects of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs on inflammatory bowel disease: a case-control study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and exacerbation or onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: Sixty consecutive IBD patients admitted to the hospital were carefully interviewed to ascertain whether they used NSAIDs and the relationship in time and duration to the exacerbation (or onset) of the IBD; 62 patients with irritable bowel syndrome were similarly interviewed and served as controls. RESULTS: In 31% of our IBD population there was a correlation between use of NSAIDs and IBD activity, whereas in only 2% of the irritable bowel syndrome population who used NSAIDs did this relationship exist. CONCLUSIONS: NSAIDs provoke disease activity in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and should be avoided in patients with a history of IBD whenever possible.     

肠易激综合征流行病学研究现状与进展

肠易激综合征(irritable bowel syndrome,IBS)是一种以慢性或者反复发作的腹痛伴排便习惯改变为特征的功能性肠病,并缺乏形态学和生化标志的异常。IBS是一种全球性疾病,人群患病率较高,其症状可反复发作,严重影响患者的生活质量,并占用了大量的医疗资源。IBS的病因和发病机制尚未明了,随着对IBS认识的不断深入和发展,国内外在不同时期,采用不同的标准和方法,对IBS的流行病学进行了较深入的研究,但不同国家和地区、不同人群的IBS患病率及其分布特征研究结果不尽相同,影响IBS的危险因素主要包括社会心理因素及遗传、感染、食物、药物因素等,现就近年来国内外IBS流行病学的研究情况作一综述。     

Pelvic congestion syndrome: chronic pelvic pain caused by ovarian and internal iliac varices

Chronic pelvic pain is a common and disabling condition affecting women of childbearing age. A specific diagnosis for the condition is often difficult, and referred pain from the abdominal viscera, neurogenic and psychogenic factors have all been implicated, as have pelvic conditions such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and ovarian cysts; no diagnosis is made in 60% of patients. Pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS), the presence of varices of the pelvic veins, has been shown to be the underlying aetiology in a significant proportion of patients with chronic pelvic pain; the development of these varices is caused by a combination of endocrine and mechanical factors. Given the positional nature of these varices, they are rarely diagnosed with conventional methods such as B-mode ultrasound and diagnostic laparoscopy. Diagnosis is best made with selective ovarian venography, although newer, non-invasive methods such as magnetic resonance imaging and duplex ultrasound are increasingly gaining favour. Pelvic varices are eminently treatable, either using ovarian suppression or by the ligation or embolization of the pelvic veins.     

Subtypes of constipation: sorting out the confusion

In patients with chronic constipation, identifying subtypes based on underlying physiology guides subsequent therapeutic choices. Chronic constipation subtypes include slow-transit constipation, pelvic floor dyssynergia, functional constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Chronic constipation subtypes are defined by the result of colonic transit, pelvic floor function, and the presence or absence of significant abdominal pain. Although a variety of tests are available, the most straightforward approach uses the 5-day colonic marker test of transit and anorectal manometry with balloon expulsion testing to evaluate for pelvic floor dysfunction. Patients with normal physiologic tests have either irritable bowel syndrome with constipation or normal-transit constipation. Significant overlap exists between subtypes and a clear distinction is not always possible, with up to a 50% overlap between patients with slow-transit constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, approximately 10% of patients evaluated exhibiting both slow transit and pelvic floor dyssynergia, and 50% of patients with pelvic floor dyssynergia also found to have slow transit. Symptom severity assessment provides the rationale for pursuing further testing and directing the aggressiveness of treatment as patients with greater symptom severity have reduced quality of life and poor physical functioning scores. Few constipation-specific validated measures exist for measuring symptom severity in chronic constipation. In clinical practice severity may be defined as mild symptoms having minimal impact upon daily activities or moderate to severe symptoms that increasingly interfere with daily life.     

The general practitioner''s approach to irritable bowel syndrome: From intention to practice

BACKGROUND: Although general practitioners play a critical role in the management of irritable bowel syndrome because they deal with the most patients, guidelines are developed mainly by specialists. AIMS: To evaluate the clinical features of irritable bowel patients and the general practitioners' approach to irritable bowel syndrome in Italy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire focusing on the management of this syndrome was completed by 28 general practitioners. Clinical features and diagnostic and treatment measures taken in 229 patients were analysed. RESULTS: Only 35.7% of the general practitioners were familiar with the Rome II criteria. Changes in bowel habits and abdominal pain/discomfort were the most common symptoms. Constipation (74.2%) was more frequent as the main symptom than diarrhoea. Routine blood tests (76.4%) and abdominal ultrasound (42.2%) were requested more frequently than colonoscopy (31.1%). At least one specialist consultation was recommended in 63.3% of patients. Drugs (mainly antispasmodics) were prescribed more frequently for diarrhoea (91.4%) than for constipation (55.7%). CONCLUSIONS: General practitioners are little acquainted with the Rome II criteria. Diagnostic tests and specialist consultations are often recommended; antispasmodics are the most frequently prescribed drug. Guidelines should be developed together by general practitioners and gastroenterologists to effectively manage patients at a lower cost.