Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and its Association withAnxiety among Medical Students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Riyadh

Meshal Khaled Alaqeel,Anas Fahad Alonezan,Fahad Yousef Alaujan,Nasser Abdullah Alowaimer,Nawaf Yousef Almegbel

doi:10.12669/pjms.331.12572

Abstract

Objective:To quantify the prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) among medical students of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and to observe the association between anxiety and IBS.Methods:This cross-sectional observational study conducted during academic year 2015-2016 has used two self-administered, pre-validated questionnaires: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and Rome III criteria. The sample size was 270, and proportional allocation was used to determine distribution of this sample across study population based on percentages of students in each academic year. Convenience sampling was used to select participants.Results:The overall prevalence of IBS was 21% (n=57), with a higher prevalence among females (26%, n=23) than males (19%, n=34). IBS was most and least prevalent among first-year students (14%, n=5) and fifth-year students (29%, n=21) respectively. Anxiety levels were normal, mild, moderate, and severe or extremely severe in 39% (n=105), 7% (n=19), 26% (n=70), and 27%. A significant association was found between gender & IBS and anxiety levels & IBS.Conclusion:The prevalence of IBS in this study was 21% and higher among females than males but were highest among fifth-year students for both genders. More than 50% of students had moderate or high levels of anxiety for both genders. The prevalence of IBS was highest among students of 5th fifth year. The study provides evidence that, as medical students of higher year of their under graduation were having higher level of anxiety which leads to IBS.

Highlights

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common medical disorder affecting the digestive tract in the gastrointestinal (GI) system
Based on the Rome III criteria, 57 students were identified as having IBS, with a corresponding prevalence of 21.1%
With respect to the prevalence of IBS for students of different genders, the study results indicated that 19% of males and 25.9% of females had IBS With respect to the prevalence of IBS across students of different academic years; the highest prevalence was among fifth-year students, whereas the lowest prevalence was among firstyear students (Table-I)

Summary

Introduction

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common medical disorder affecting the digestive tract in the gastrointestinal (GI) system. The relationship between psychiatric disorders and GI disorders such as IBS is well established.[3,4] IBS patients typically suffer from anxiety and depression, which can aggravate their IBS symptoms. This phenomenon is attributable to the fact that the large intestine is partially controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which responds to stress.[5] Comparisons between healthy individuals and IBS patients have demonstrated that stress increases the motility and sensation of the large intestine in individuals affected by IBS.[6] Medical students face a substantial amount of stress as they attempt to fulfill their duties. Given the number of years required to graduate, frequent exams, long study hours, and need to work with difficult patients associated with medical school, medical students have greater levels of stress which leads to higher prevalence of IBS than students in other disciplines.[7]

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