Prevalence of anxiety among patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A pilot study

Introduction: Aetiological factors of irritable bowel syndrome [IBS] among Sri Lankans are not well known. This study was carried out to find the prevalence of anxiety among patients with IBS and its association with symptoms of the disease. Methods: A group of patients numbering 104 with IBS, presented to Medical and Gastroenterology Units and diagnosed according to the ROME III criteria were assessed with a combination of Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD) and Public Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ). This data were compared with 104 age and sex matched controls. Results: Majority (55.8%) of IBS patients were females. Mean age of them was 46.9 years with a SD of 15.1 yrs (range: 20-76). Majority (53.8%) of IBS patients belonged to Social Class 5. Features of anxiety were found in 26% of IBS patients according to the PHQ and 43.3% according to the GAD. Only 3 controls (2.88%) were detected to have anxiety according to the PHQ. Anxiety among controls according to the GAD was 4.8%. Conclusions: There is a higher occurrence of anxiety among patients with IBS when compared with age and sex matched controls. Whether this is a primary etiological factor or a secondary phenomenon due to the chronicity of the disease is unknown to us. Galle Medical Journal 2015 20(1): 17-21