Sex differences in the symptoms and psychological factors that influence quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Abstract To investigate the relationship between gender and symptomatology, psychological factors, and quality of life (QOL) in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The diagnosis of IBS was made on the basis of the Rome III Criteria. A physician obtained demographic and symptom data, Zung Self-Rated Anxiety and Depression Scale scores (SAS/SDS), and IBS-specific quality-of-life ratings (IBS-QOL). Of the 4015 patients approached, 452 patients were diagnosed with IBS. Age ranged from 14 to 79 years (44.05 ± 14.89 years) and the male to female ratio was 1 : 1.3. The gender composition between the four IBS subtypes differed significantly (P