Tratamiento del síndrome de intestino irritable por gastroenterólogos: resultados de un estudio de corte transversal a partir de una encuesta elaborada por expertos

Introduction. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) accounts for a significant deterioration in the quality of life of patients who suffer from it and is a common reason for consultation in gastroenterology. The treatment of this syndrome includes a wide variety of medications and recommendations based on different factors of its physiopathology. However, the results are usually variable and sometimes unsatisfactory for either the patient or the treating physician. The main objective of the present work is to describe the different treatments used by gastroenterologists in the management of IBS in Argentina. Materials and methods. Questionnaire of forty-seven questions, prepared by experts, distributed by medical associations of gastroenterology in Argentina and answered by specialists via Google Forms. Results. 304 responses, 157 from women (51.6%) and 147 from men (48.4%). The mean age was 44 and 49.9 years, respectively. 87.5% consider improvement of quality of life as the main goal of treatment. Regarding physiopathology of diarrhea variant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), 49.5% considered emotional stress, while for constipation variant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C), 42.8% considered it multifactorial, with a predominance of slow colonic transit. No treatment option was rated as very effective by more than 50% of the respondents. Rifaximin was considered the most effective treatment in IBS-D, while polyethylene glycol was for IBS-C. Statistical significant differences were observed among gastroenterology subspecialties in the treatment of IBS-D with respect to the efficacy of diet, amitriptyline and antibiotics other than rifaximin, and regarding the effectiveness for bisacodyl/picosulfate and antibiotics in the treatment of IBS-C. Conclusion. The most common pathophysiological mechanismin IBS-D is stress. The vast majority of respondents consider that the main goal of treatment is the improvement of the quality of life, over symptomatic relief. None of the drugs is considered very effective in the treatment of the different IBS variants by at least 50% of those surveyed. Statistically significant differences were observed in the proportion of monthly consultations for IBS regarding to age and in the effectiveness considered for some treatments in relation to the subspecialty of physicians. The therapeutic approach to IBS by Argentine gastroenterologists is varied and somewhat heterogeneous, resulting in a still inappropriate management of this condition.