Affective Temperaments in Patients with Irritable Colons: A Suspicious Relationship

Abstract

Objective: There is a growing literature about the relationship between irritable colon and psychiatric symptoms. 'However, to the best of our knowledge, research is limited regarding the relationship between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and affective temperaments that are precursors of mood disorders. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate whether there is a relationship between affective temperaments and IBS. Methods: This study included 57 patients with irritable colon and 57 healthy controls. Irritable colon was evaluated according to the ROME III criteria. All participants in both groups were given a structured interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders, and those with any active psychiatric disorder were excluded. Results: Irritable colon patients had significantly higher scores of depressive, anxious and irritable temperaments than healthy controls with a student's t-test. Depressive temperament was related to age and lower education level (p<0.05). Anxious temperament was only related with occupational status of the participant. Belonging to an IBS group or control group did not have a significant effect on scores regarding affective temperaments, according to covariance analysis. Conclusion: There is relationship between affective temperaments and IBS. Lower education level, being unemployed and elder age is risky for higher scores of affective temperaments. A larger sample size may be helpful to define the detailed relationship between affective temperaments and IBS.