Factors Influencing the Severity of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the HGE Department of the Center Hospitalier Universitaire de Cocody Abidjan CI

Email: drambake@yahoo.fr ABSTRACT Aim: To determine the factors influencing the severity of IBS. Methods: This was a monocentric prospective cross-sectional study with an analytical aim, conducted in outpatient Hepato-Gastroenterology consultations. All patients meeting the ROME III criteria were included. Results: 107 patients were collected out of 1343, i.e. a prevalence of 7.96%. There was a female predominance with a sex ratio of 0.52%. The average age of our patients was 40 years. The 30-50 age group was the most represented with 60.82%. The 2 main personal histories were abdominal surgery (28.04%) and atopic terrain (16.82%). More than half of the patients, 52.34%, had a family history of IBS. The main digestive signs of IBS found were bloating (77.57%), constipation (39.25%) and abdominal pain (32.71%). The constipation-predominant IBS subtype accounted for 39.25%, followed by the alternating diarrhea/constipation (24.30%) and unclassified (24.30%) subtypes. Nearly half of our patients (44.86%) had a sign frequency of at least 3 days/week. The 3 other digestive symptoms found were rumbling (63.55%), flatulence (57.94%) and dyspepsia (48.60%). The 3 main extra-digestive signs found were low back pain (55.14%), sleep disorders (28.04%) and asthenia (23.36%). The mode of progressive installation predominated with 56.60% and the duration of evolution was long in 76.64% of patients. 51.40% of our patients reported having severe transit disorders, 42.99% moderate bloating and moderate abdominal pain in 42.99%. 54.21% of patients declared the financial cost and 35.51% absenteeism as the main impact on quality of life. The 2 main psychological factors found were stress (58.88%) and anxiety (39.25%). The practice of regular physical activity was found in 39.35% of patients. The main dietary habits were milk (61.68%), taking meals at irregular times (48.60%) and insufficient fluid intake (35.51%). In univariate analysis, there was a statistically significant association between the type of IBS and sex (p<0.005); between the practice of physical activity and the severity of bloating, transit disorders (P<0.05); between the severity of the symptoms and the sex in case of transit disorder (P<0.05) finally between the stress and the severity of the abdominal pain (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant link between the type of IBS and the frequency of signs (P>0.05); between *Corresponding Author Factors Influencing the Severity of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the HGE Department of the Center Hospitalier Universitaire de Cocody Abidjan CI