The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among Adults: A Multi-Centre Cross-sectional Study.

: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort associated with defecation or an altered bowel habit. IBS can be divided into four subtypes according to the predominant bowel pattern: diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D), constipation-predominant (IBS-C), and both diarrhea and constipation (IBS-M), and when a stool pattern cannot be categorized under any of the above three patterns (IBS-U).

For clinicians, diagnosis of IBS can be challenging because symptoms can be variable over time, and what makes it a real challenge is the absence of a gold diagnostic standard for this syndrome. That is why experts developed the Rome criteria in 2006, which is constantly revised. The latest update of these criteria was published in 2016 as Rome IV.

Unfortunately, studies have indicated higher rates of psychological comorbidity including suicidal ideation and depression among IBS patients, and a significant reduction in health-related quality of life, this negatively affects the productivity of the individual in society. Epidemiological studies of this syndrome have indicated a greater prevalence among women than men, and adolescents among other age groups.

However, despite these attempts by researchers to determine the prevalence patterns and risk factors for this syndrome, many of them are still not sufficiently defined. Hence, our study came to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome among adults.