Prevalence and Predictors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome among Medical Students

Randa Farah, Nadia Khamis, Awni Abu Sneineh, Aseil Khatib, Sophia Haddadin, Mohammad Darwish, Yaser Rayyan
2022 Jordan Medical Journal  
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders, and medical students are at a higher risk for this disorder, given their stressful lives. This study aims to identify the prevalence of IBS and the associated risk factors among MS. A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at all academic levels. Data were collected from January to September 2018 using a validated, self-administered, and anonymous questionnaire. Five hundred
more » ... -five students were included, and an IBS diagnosis was made in 37 students. Older students and those in higher clinical years are at greater risk for developing IBS (P <.02 and.001, respectively). The factors associated with IBS (adjusting for known confounders) included a family history of IBS [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 7.06 (95% CI: 2.923 - 17.069)], rare use of over-the-counter pain medications, [AOR: 2.806; 95% CI: 0.004-0.431; P <.003] and students experiencing high levels ofanxiety [AOR : 3.33 (95% CI: 1.392 -7.981); P<.002]. In this study, the risk of IBS among medical students was 6.6%.
doi:10.35516/jmj.v56i1.231 fatcat:5il4kp4utjg43kqieplfyckr4i