Alta associação entre síndrome do intestino irritável e transtornos psiquiátricos em Belo Horizonte-MG

Abstract

Introduction Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional intestinal disorder that affects about 11% of the world population and is really associated to psychological stress and psychiatric comorbidities. According to the medical literature the prevalence of IBS in psychiatric patients is significantly higher than in the general population, and the epidemiological data are analyzed together, once they bring significant impacts on quality of life and high direct and indirect costs. There are few studies that evaluate the prevalence of IBS in psychiatric patients, and there is no study in the Brazilian population. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of IBS in patients diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder in a psychiatry service. Materials and Methods: One hundred and eighty-seven patients, aged between 18 and 65 years of age, treated in a psychiatry clinical of Belo Horizonte/Brazil, agreed documentally to participate in the study. They first responded to a structured questionnaire containing demographic and health data and subsequently underwent a standardized questionnaire (MINI) to obtain their respective psychiatric diagnoses. After exclusion criteria, 113 of these patients were subjected to a specific questionnaire for diagnosis of IBS according to diagnostic criteria of Rome III. Results: Of the 113 patients, 70 (61.9%) were female and 43 (38.1%) male, 70 (61.9%) were 31 years of age or older. The married or in a stable union patients made up a total of 61 patients (54%), the same number found for patients who attended higher education (54%). Among the patients, 92 (81.4%) lived in the capital and 82(72.6%) reported having non-white complexion. The prevalence IBS according to the diagnostic criteria of Rome III was 40.7%, and the subtype diarrhea was the most common (20.4%), followed by the mixed subtype (12.4%) and finally the constipation subtype (8%). The prevalence in patients diagnosed with depression was 29.6%, with generalized anxiety disorder in 60%, and in those with panic disorder, 58.3%. Conclusion: The results of this Brazilian populational study are in agreement with previous studies performed in various regions of the world, that using similar parameters of evaluation show a higher prevalence of IBS in psychiatric patients than in the general population. The prevalence of IBS according to the Rome III criteria was 40.7% in this population with psychiatric diseases.