The Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and its Clinical Symptoms and Related Factors among the Adult Population of Kerman, Iran

Background & Aims: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most prevalent gastrointestinal functional disorder, characterized by non-specific symptoms such as abdominal pain and discomfort, altered bowel habit, and bloating. Its prevalence varies between 3.5% and 30% in the world. This study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of IBS in the adult population of Kerman, Iran, which is a representative of the population living in Southeast of Iran. Methods: This population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in a one stage randomized clustered sample of the adult population of Kerman in 2010-11. 2259 persons were recruited and interviewed in a specialty clinic. The questionnaire for collecting data was based on ROME III criteria and demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed with chi-square and logistic regression tests. P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The study consisted of 1088 (48.2%) males and 1171 (51.8%) females with mean age of 43 ± 16 years and IBS prevalence of 4.38%. The regression analysis showed that there is a significant inverse relationship between IBS and age (P < 0.001). The most common symptoms of IBS were the need to strain during bowel movement (59.6%) and bloating (55.6%). The most common subgroup of IBS was IBS-D (diarrhea-predominant IBS) (49.5%). Conclusion: The result of this study showed that the prevalence of IBS in Kerman was less than that which has been obtained in Western Countries. IBS is common among the young population, and the population of Kerman is mainly young; therefore, educational and health measures for the prevention of IBS can have important personal and economic outcomes.