ABSTRACT
Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a commonly seen functional bowel disorder in clinical practice. Previous researches demonstrated that early adverse life events (EALs) were associated with the development of IBS. However, there are few researches focused on this field in China. Aims: To explore the effect of childhood abuse, a type of EALs, on the development of IBS in adults. Methods: Fifty-six IBS patients and 50 healthy subjects in Tongji Hospital of Tongji University from Oct. 2017 to Apr. 2018 were enrolled. The EALs and quality of life of these two groups were evaluated using Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scale. Furthermore, Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS), SF-36 and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality Of Life (IBS-QOL) scales were compared between IBS patients with and without childhood abuse. Results: The CTQ score and incidence of childhood abuse were significantly higher in IBS group than in control group (P<0.05), while the scores of bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning and mental health in SF-36 were significantly lower in IBS group than in control group (P<0.05). Compared with patients without childhood abuse, IBS patients with childhood abuse had a higher IBS-SSS score (P<0.05); the physical functioning, general health, vitality, social functioning and mental health in SF-36 and the dysphoria, interference with activity, body image, health worry, social reaction, sexual intercourse and relationship in IBS-QOL were poorer in patients with childhood abuse than those without (P<0.05). Conclusions: Experience of EALs plays an important role in the development of IBS and might affect the symptom severity, quality of life and social function in adult IBS.