BACKGROUND/
AIMS:
Both sexual and
physical abuse history have been reported to be associated with
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Western countries. The impact of abuse
history in IBS
patients in
Asia remains unclear. We aim to determine the
prevalence of abuse
history, its associated psychological profiles, and
sleep problems among IBS
patients in
Taiwan.
METHODS:
In total, 194
Rome III-defined IBS
patients were invited to participate. Age- and
sex-matched healthy carriers of
chronic hepatitis B or
hepatitis C without chronic abdominal symptoms were identified as
disease-controls. We administered a validated
questionnaire to evaluate bowel symptoms, physical/
sexual abuse history,
anxiety/
depression (
Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale [HADS]), and
sleep quality.
RESULTS:
IBS
patients had a significantly higher
prevalence of
sexual abuse history than the
disease-
control group both before (16.5% vs 6.7%, P < 0.05) and after (16.0% vs 6.6%, P < 0.05)
adolescence. These significant differences were mainly observed in
women (13.4% vs 3.4%, P < 0.05). No difference was noted in
history of
physical abuse between the 2 groups. IBS
patients with a
history of
sexual abuse had significantly higher HADS scores and higher frequencies of
sleep difficulty than those without.
CONCLUSIONS:
In
Taiwan,
sexual abuse history was more prevalent in
female IBS
patients than controls.
Sexual abuse history may contribute to higher
anxiety/
depression levels and
sleep difficulties, which are commonly experienced in IBS
patients. In
Asia, abuse
history should be obtained when approaching IBS
patients to facilitate better management.