Prevalence of Chronic Constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and their Overlap, among Female Undergraduate Students in Japan

Abstract

Chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are two of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders, both of which negatively affect the quality of life of the patients. Since people may have co-existing symptoms of multiple disorders, chronic constipation and IBS with predominant constipation cannot be clearly distinguished. In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires to assess the prevalence of chronic constipation and IBS, and their overlap, among female undergraduate students in Japan. We also assessed the participants’ mental status, physical activity, lifestyle, and dietary intake, each of which can influence chronic constipation and IBS. These parameters were assessed using a Japanese version of the hospital anxiety and depression scale, and an established semi-quantitative questionnaire available for clinical investigation (FFQg).Among the 131 participants, 9.2% had chronic constipation and 18.0% had IBS, while 2 (1.7%) participants had both constipation and IBS. Increased body mass index and higher dietary intake of protein (energy ratio), fat (energy ratio), cholesterol, animal protein (ratio), animal fat (ratio), and meat and eggs, and decreased carbohydrate energy ratio and vegetable fat ratio, were associated with chronic constipation. A state of anxiety tended to be associated with IBS, but in contrast to the results for chronic constipation, the dietary intake of the nutrients and types of food examined were not associated with IBS, except for the “snacks food group”. The results suggest that overlap between chronic constipation and IBS was not common, and that these two disorders had different clinical characteristics and backgrounds.