The use of alternative medicine was assessed by questionnaire in 96 patients with irritable bowel syndrome, 143 patients with organic upper gastrointestinal disorders and 222 patients with Crohn's disease of comparable age and sex. Significantly more patients with the irritable bowel syndrome (16%) had consulted practitioners of alternative medicine about their condition than had patients in ei...

A 12 month follow up study to assess the impact of symptoms suggestive of irritable bowel syndrome in women presenting to gynaecology clinics with pelvic pain is reported. Of 71 women 37 (52%) had symptoms suggestive of irritable bowel syndrome at presentation. A firm gynaecological diagnosis was reached in only three (8%) women positive for irritable bowel syndrome compared with 15 (44%) witho...

Studies have shown that familial aggregation is of importance for abdominal symptoms including irritable bowel syndrome and there are a few reports of a moderate heritability for irritable bowel syndrome. Sex differences in prevalence and incidence of irritable bowel syndrome have been demonstrated however less is known about sex differences in heritability. The objective was to investigate whe...

background celiac disease occurs primarily in whites of northern european ancestry. previous beliefs about epidemiology of celiac disease in iran has changed after recent studies on the disease. the aim of this study is to find the frequency of celiac disease among patients with irritable bowel syndrome. materials and methods during one-year period (2006-07), patients with irritable bowel syndr...

background: improving life is the main goal of therapeutic interventions for chronic diseases. although we needed to determine quality of life by various variables. this study aimed to determine quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (ibs) in kerman. materials and methods: this is a cross sectional study of 143 patients with ibs referred to a specialist, assessed by ibs-qol.3...

background: celiac disease (cd) may be misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (ibs) resulting in long delays in diagnosing cd. there are contradictory reports on the association of cd with ibs.appropriateness of screening all patients with ibs for cd and how to screen them are still under question. materials and methods: in a cross-sectional study, 328 ibs patients (rome ii) referred to the p...

BACKGROUND Complementary and alternative medical therapies and practices are widely employed in the treatment of the irritable bowel syndrome. AIM To review the usage of complementary and alternative medicine in the irritable bowel syndrome, and to assess critically the basis and evidence for its use. METHODS A systematic review of complementary and alternative medical therapies and practic...

AIM To identify simple, objective, accurate histological criteria for distinguishing acute infective-type colitis, chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome on rectal biopsy in patients with acute onset diarrhoea at first presentation, one to 10 weeks after onset. METHODS Cell counts and measurements of mucosal architecture were made on initial rectal biopsie...

Irritable bowel syndrome is a group of functional gastrointestinal disorders with not yet fully clarified etiology. Recent evidence suggesting that mast cells may play a central role in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome paves the way for agents targeting histamine receptors as a potential therapeutic option in clinical treatment. In this review, the role of histamine and histamine re...

background: ibs is the most common disorder diagnosed by gastroenterologists, which is seen in approximately 40-50% of patients seeking care from a specialist. several randomized controlled trials, have assessed the therapeutic effect of anti-depressant drugs, but there is not enough evidence to prove their effectiveness. materials and methods: fifty cases meeting rome ii criteria for ibs with ...