Irritable bowel syndrome linked to psychological trauma
By Liz Lockhart
It has long since been suspected that stress has an adverse effect on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A 
new study now suggests that the cumulative effect of psychological and emotional trauma may contribute to adult IBS.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that childhood and adult traumas such as death of a loved one, divorce, house fire, car accident, natural disaster and mental abuse are more common among adults with IBS. They also found that general life traumas were more often reported than physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
The research centred on 2,623 participants who reported traumas being common over their lifetimes, both before and after the age of 18.
‘While stress has been linked to IBS, and childhood abuse has been reported to be present in up to 50% of patients with IBS, at a prevalence twice that of patients without IBS, most studies of abuse have focused on sexual abuse with sparse detail and also have not looked at other forms of psychological trauma,’ said Yuri Saito-Loftus M.D.
‘This is the first study that looks at multiple forms of trauma, the timing of those traumas, and traumas in a family setting,' Saito-Loftus added.
IBS is 1.5 times more common in women than in men and is usually diagnosed in people who are under 50 years of age. Many sufferers of IBS experience abdominal discomfort, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation. Scientists believe that IBS is caused by changes in the nerves and muscles that control motility and sensation of the bowel.
Saito-Loftus believes that trauma may sensitise the gut and the brain and says that the results of this study suggests that IBS patients experience or report traumas at a level higher than patients who do not have IBS.
Apart from the physical discomforts experienced by IBS sufferers, their quality of life is negatively impacted. IBS patients make more visits to their doctors, are prescribed more medications, undergo more diagnostic tests, have lower work productivity, miss more work days and are hospitalised more frequently than patients without IBS.
Saito-Loftus said ‘Patients and their families frequently wonder ‘why me?’ ‘why did this happen?’’ and added that it is important for patients and their health care providers to understand the potential link between prior stressful experiences and IBS.
‘This will help them understand why IBS happened to them, why stress continues to play a role in their IBS symptoms,’ Saito-Loftus added. She urged patients and providers to understand the role of stress and its impact on individuals with IBS.
‘Someone who thinks they have coped with their traumatic experiences adequately on their own and continues to have IBS symptoms should be encouraged to explore professional evaluation and treatment for traumatic life experiences,’ she concluded.
Source: American College of Gastroenterology
