Quality of life and psychometric evaluation of patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome: an observational cohort study

• Published in: São Paulo medical journal
• Main Authors: Yildiz, Alp, Kizil, Emre, Yildiz, Aybala
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Associação Paulista de Medicina - APM 2020
• Subjects: MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Simethicone combination; Psychosomatic disorders; Irritable bowel syndrome; Depression; Anxiety; Quality of life; Otilonium bromide
• ISSN: 1806-9460
• DOI: 10.1590/1516-3180.2019.0527.r1.16042020

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Very few data are available for evaluating health-related quality of life among people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and even fewer data are available in relation to anxiety and depression status among these patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the quality of life, anxiety and depression status of patients with IBS. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational cohort study conducted in a tertiary-care university hospital. METHODS: Patients who had recently been diagnosed with IBS and who had been followed up for IBS-specific treatment for at least three months were included. A quality of life (QoL) survey, the Beck Anxiety Index (BAI) and the Hamilton Depression Index (HAM-D) were applied to the patients. RESULTS: In total, 274 patients with IBS were included in the study cohort. These patients presented very high baseline scores for anxiety and depression, and very poor QoL results. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that IBS had a very high impact on these patients, regarding their anxiety and depression levels, alongside very poor results relating to quality of life.