Evaluation of health related quality of life in irritable bowel syndrome patients

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is an important measure in the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Controversy exists in the findings of studies evaluating QOL in IBS subtypes, and little is known about this issue in Iranian patients. Determination of the factors affecting QOL in IBS patients may influence treatment outcomes. The aims of this study are to: 1) compare QOL between subtypes in a sample of Iranian IBS patients, 2) determine the factors associated with QOL in IBS. Methods: This cross sectional study included two hundred and fifty IBS patients with the mean age (+/- standard deviation) of 31.62 (+/- 11.93) years that were referred to outpatient gastroenterology clinic. IBS patients were diagnosed based on Rome-3 criteria by a gastroenterologist, and then they were categorized into three subtypes according to the predominant type of bowel habit. The "QOL specific for IBS", "Stait-trait anxiety inventory", and "Beck depression inventory-2" questioners were used to evaluate QOL, anxiety, and depression symptoms, respectively. Results: The mean QOL scores in IBS mixed subtype (71.7 +/- 25.57), constipation predominant subtype (80.28 +/- 25.57), and diarrhea predominant subtype (76.43 +/- 19.13) were not different. (P value: 0.05) In multivariate linear regression analysis, anxiety symptom scores were inversely correlated with QOL scores. [Standardized beta: -0.43, (95% confidence interval: -0.70, -0.39), P value: < 0.01] Conclusion: It seems reasonable to manage anxiety symptoms properly in IBS patients since this might increase their QOL.