Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome in adults of a Shanghai community

Abstract

A survey on the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was conducted in 595 adults from Changzheng Community of Shanghai. The results showed that 73 out of 595 subjects had irritable bowel syndrome (according to the Rome Ⅲ criterion) with a prevalence rate of 12.3%. There were significant differences in prevalence of IBS among residents with different ages and jobs, and with or without depression (P < 0. 05, or 0. 01). The findings indicate that the prevalence rate of IBS is high in community,so attention should be paid in general practice. Key words: Irritable bowel syndrome