irritable bowel syndrome in students of golestan university of medical sciences

background: although irritable bowel syndrome is a common problem in europian countries, it's prevalence in asian countries is unclear. the aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of ibs and to assess the symptom subgroups based on the predominant bowel habit in a young adult population of iran. materials and methods: a cross-sectional study on medical students at the golestan university of medical sciences was conducted. a vaild self-report questionnaries based on rome ii criteria was administered to all medical students. comparison between groups was assessed using the chi-square and fisher's exact analytical tests. results: of 708 questionnaires, 513 complete responses were received (response rate of 87.4%). fifty (10.6%) subjects reported symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of ibs, predominantly in women. forty (77.4%) and three (7.1%) were of the constipation-predominant and diarrhea-predominant subgroups, respectively. seven (12.2%) subjects fell into the non-specific ibs subgroup. 57.1% (n=28) of the medical students had consulted their healthcare practitoners for their symptoms, and 55.1% reported self-medication. conclusion: the prevalence and impact of ibs in young iranian population is higher than previously expected that deserves greater care and further investigation.