ABSTRACT
Objectives: This study was done to assess the frequency of extra intestinal features present in patients with irritable bowel syndrome
Design and place of study: It was an observational study conducted in out-patient Department of Medicine, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore affiliated with Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute, over a period of two years from January 2005 to December 2006
Subject and methods: The patients fulfilling the Rome II criteria of IBS were included in the study. A check list of extra intestinal symptoms was administered to all the patients
Results: A total of 63 patients were included in the study. There were 41 men and 22 women [male to female ratio of 1.86: I] with the age range from 18 to 61 years [mean of 33 .09 +/- 8.5 SD]. The mean duration of disease was 2.78 years. Urinary symptoms like frequency and urgency were present in almost one third of patients. These symptoms were more frequent in men [47%] than in women [33%]. The most common non-specific pain was chronic headache [62%] followed by fibromyalgia [43%] and non-specific chest pain [37%] of all cases. All of these non-specific pain symptoms were more common in women. Dysmenorrhoea [45%] was the commonest genitourinary symptom in women while impotence and premature ejaculation each were seen in 7% of men. As a group sexual and genital symptoms were more common in women than men
Conclusion: Majority of the IBS patients along with intestinal symptoms also suffers from extra intestinal complaints. Therefore, these patients should be actively screened for the presence of these extra intestinal complaints so that a timely multidisciplinary intervention may prevent further prolongation of their misery