Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2022 Jun;34(6):e14282. doi: 10.1111/nmo.14282. Epub 2021 Oct 6.

Vivek C Goodoory ^1 2, Orla F Craig ¹, David J Gracie ¹, Christopher J Black ^1 2, Alexander C Ford ^1 2

Author information

¹Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

²Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, St. James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK.

Abstract

Introduction: Little is known about the differences between patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by a physician who meet the Rome IV criteria for IBS and those who do not. We conducted a longitudinal follow-up study examining this.

Methods: We collected complete gastrointestinal, extraintestinal, and psychological symptom data from 577 consecutive adult patients with suspected IBS in a single UK gastroenterology clinic. We compared baseline characteristics between patients who met Rome IV criteria for IBS, and those who had IBS according to a physician's diagnosis but who did not meet Rome IV criteria, as well as examining whether meeting Rome IV criteria at baseline influenced evolution of symptoms under therapy.

Key results: Of 455 patients diagnosed with IBS by a physician, 375 (82.4%) met Rome IV criteria and 80 (17.4%) did not. Those who met Rome IV criteria were more likely to report severe symptoms (67.6%, vs. 30.0%, p < 0.001) and that symptoms limited activities ≥50% of the time (63.0%, vs. 37.5%, p < 0.001). Patients with Rome IV IBS were more likely to have abnormal anxiety scores (50.8%, vs. 35.9%, p = 0.007) and higher levels of somatoform symptom-reporting (29.4%, vs. 12.5%, p < 0.001). Despite this, during longitudinal follow-up, there was no significant difference in mean number of appointments required subsequently, or IBS symptom severity.

Conclusions and inferences: Although patients who met the Rome IV criteria had more severe symptoms at baseline and were more likely to exhibit psychological comorbidity, they did not appear to have a worse prognosis than those with physician-diagnosed IBS.