Epidemiology of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional bowel disorders, but its prevalence appears to vary widely between different countries. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to provide an updated comprehensive estimate of IBS prevalence at the country, regional, and global levels. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched (from January 1990 to December 2022), and eligible studies reporting the prevalence of IBS were selected. We extracted the prevalence data from the included studies, and the meta-analysis was completed using a random-effects model. Results: In total, 131 publications reporting 133 records from 39 countries with 292,951 participants were identified for our analysis. The global pooled prevalence of IBS was 15.0% (95% CI: 13.4%-16.6%), and the pooled prevalence of IBS varied substantially between countries and regions. The highest pooled prevalence of IBS was 18.9% in South America, and the lowest was 11.0% in Southeast Asia. The pooled prevalence of IBS in females was 15.0%, while that in males was 11.0%. The pooled prevalence of IBS was 14.2% from 1990 to 2000, 11.4% from 2001 to 2010 and 16.5% from 2011 to 2022.