Main Article Content
Abstract
Background Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting quality of life. Despite its prevalence, its pathophysiology remains unclear, necessitating further investigation into contributing factors.
Objective The objective of this study is to identify the demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors associated with IBS in a population attending Basra Hospital. This will enhance our understanding of the condition and inform potential management strategies.
Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in- volving patients diagnosed with IBS at Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital and Al- Fayhaa Teaching Hospital in Basra/Iraq. Participants completed a struc- tured questionnaire assessing demographic information, lifestyle habits (di- etary patterns, smoking, and exercise), and psychological stress. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis performed using Microsoft Office Excel 2013 and GraphPad Prism 9.2.0.software to determine correlations between factors and IBS prevalence.
Results Preliminary findings indicate that women are disproportion- ately affected by IBS compared to men, with significant associations ob- served between IBS symptoms and dietary habits, particularly the con- sumption of high-fat and low-fiber foods. Psychological stress was also identified as a critical factor influencing symptom severity.
Conclusion This study highlights the importance of demographic and lifestyle factors in understanding IBS. Targeting these elements may lead to improved management strategies and enhanced patient outcomes. Further research is necessary to explore the complex interplay of these factors in the pathophysiology of IBS.
Keywords
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Copyright (c) 2025 Zahraa Saad Mansour, Dawood S. Mahdi, Ihsan Edan Alsaimary (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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References
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- Kim YK, Jung HG, Myint AM, Kim H, Park SH. Imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2007;104(1–3):91-5.
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- Gupta A, Sharma R. IBS in young adults: Metabolic and lifestyle challenges. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2019;53(7):512-20. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001234.
- Lee YH, Kim N, Lee J. IBS prevalence in older adults in East Asia. Gut and Liver. 2018;12(6):634-41. doi:10.5009/gnl18112.
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- Simrén M, Törnblom H, Palsson OS. Stress sensitivity in IBS subtypes. Gut. 2017;66(10):1823-30. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2016-312457.
References
Camilleri M. Diagnosis and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a review. JAMA. 2021;325(9):865-77. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22532.
Mayer EA, Ryu HJ, Bhatt RR. The neurobiology of irritable bowel syndrome. Molecular Psychiatry. 2023;28(4):1451-65. doi:10.1038/s41380-023-01972-w.
Nelson AD, Black CJ, Houghton LA, Lugo- Fagundo NS, Lacy BE, Ford AC. Systematic review and network meta-analysis: efficacy of licensed drugs for abdominal bloating in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2021;54(2):98-108. doi:10.1111/apt.16437.
Zhang T, Zhang C, Zhang J, Sun F, Duan L. Ef- ficacy of probiotics for irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2022;12:859967. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2022.859967.
Li F, Yano Y, Étiévant L, Daniel CR, Sharma SV, Brown EL, et al. The time- dependent association between irritable bowel syndrome and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: A prospective cohort study within the UK Biobank. Official Journal of the American College of Gastroenterology ACG. 2022:10-14309. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000002675.
A S, A T, S R, SK K. Psychiatric Co-Morbidities and Profile of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Northern India. Brain Sciences. 2024;14(4):393. doi:10.3390/brainsci14040393.
Seeling KS, Hehl L, Vell MS, Rendel MD, Creasy KT, Trautwein C, et al. Comorbidities, biomarkers and cause specific mortality in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A phenome-wide association study. United European Gastroenterology Journal. 2023;11(5):45870.
DM B, AM L, SW K. Development and Current State of Digital Therapeutics for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2024;22(2):222-34. doi:10.1002/ueg2.12397.
Midenfjord I, Borg A, Törnblom H, Sim- ren M. Cumulative effect of psychological alterations on gastrointestinal symptom severity in irritable bowel syndrome. Official Journal of the American College of Gastroenterology ACG. 2021;116(4):769-79. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001038.
Qiu P, Ishimoto T, Fu L, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Liu Y. The gut microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease. Frontiers in Cellu- lar and Infection Microbiology. 2022;12:733992. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2022.733992.
Quaglio AEV, Grillo TG, Oliveira ECSD, Stasi LCD, Sassaki LY. Gut microbiota, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2022;28(30):4053. doi:10.3748/wjg.v28.i30.4053.
Aguilera-Lizarraga J, Hussein H, Boeckxstaens GE. Immune activation in irritable bowel syndrome: what is the evidence? Na- true Reviews Immunology. 2022;22(11):674-86. doi:10.1038/s41577-022-00700-9.
Mujagic Z, Kasapi M, Jonkers DM, Garcia- Perez I, Vork L, Weerts ZZR, et al. Integrated fecal microbiome–metabolome signatures reflect stress and serotonin metabolism in irritable bowel syndrome. Gut Microbes. 2022;14(1):2063016. doi:10.1080/19490976.2022.2063016.
Horn A, Stangl S, Parisi S, Bauer N, Roll J, Löffler C, et al. Systematic review with meta-analysis: Stress-management interventions for patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Stress and Health. 2023;39(4):694-707. doi:10.1002/smi.3226.
Eijsbouts C, Zheng T, Kennedy NA, Bonfiglio F, Anderson CA, Moutsianas L, et al. Genome-wide analysis of 53,400 people with irritable bowel syndrome highlights shared genetic pathways with mood and anxiety disorders. Nature Genet- ics. 2021;53(11):1543-52. doi:10.1038/s41588-021-00950-8.
Chiaffarino F, Cipriani S, Ricci E, Mauri PA, Es- posito G, Barretta M, et al. Endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2021;303:17-25. doi:10.1007/s00404-020-05797-8.
Fracas E, Costantino A, Vecchi M, Buoli M. Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Are There Any Gender Differences? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(13):6255. doi:10.3390/ijerph20136255.
Ghoshal UC. Postinfection Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gut and Liver. 2022;16(3):331-40. doi:10.5009/gnl210208.
Sun Y, Yuan S, Chen X, Sun J, Kalla R, Yu L, et al. The Contribution of Genetic Risk and Lifestyle Factors in the Development of Adult-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2023;118(3):511-22. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000002180.
Nilsson D, Ohlsson B. Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Are Associated With Female Sex and Smoking in the General Population and With Unemployment in Men. Frontiers in Medicine. 2021;8. doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.646658.
Kumar S, Shukla R, Ranjan P, Kumar A. Interleukin-10: a compelling therapeutic target in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Clinical Therapeutics. 2017;39(3):632-43.
Kim YK, Jung HG, Myint AM, Kim H, Park SH. Imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2007;104(1–3):91-5.
Lackner JM, Ma C, Keefer L. IBS: Gender differences in prevalence and symptom severity. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2021;150:110619. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110619.
El-Salhy M, Gundersen D, Hatlebakk JG. Gender and IBS prevalence: A systematic review. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2022;28(12):1345-58. doi:10.3748/wjg.v28.i12.1345.
Heitkemper MM, Cain KC, Jarrett ME. Hor- monal influence on IBS symptoms. Neuro- gastroenterology and Motility. 2020;32(5):e13710. doi:10.1111/nmo.13710.
Patel P, Bercik P, Morgan D. Age distribution of IBS patients and lifestyle influences. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020;115(8):1213-23. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000000684.
Gupta A, Sharma R. IBS in young adults: Metabolic and lifestyle challenges. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2019;53(7):512-20. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001234.
Lee YH, Kim N, Lee J. IBS prevalence in older adults in East Asia. Gut and Liver. 2018;12(6):634-41. doi:10.5009/gnl18112.
Schmulson M, Drossman DA. Smoking and IBS: A cohort study. Journal of Gastroenterology. 2015;50(1):25-32. doi:10.1007/s00535-014-0965-8.
Yarandi SS, Nasseri-Moghaddam S. Smok- ing and IBS risk factors. World Jour- nal of Gastroenterology. 2021;27(2):210-22. doi:10.3748/wjg.v27.i2.210.
Limsrivilai J, Charatcharoenwitthaya P. Cigarette smoking and IBS risk. International Journal of Colorectal Disease. 2017;32(5):753-61. doi:10.1007/s00384-016-2748-1.
Nguyen LH, Lochhead P, Joshi AD. Tobacco use and IBS. Gastroenterology. 2018;154(5):1402-12. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2017.12.033.
Lee SY, Kim JH, Sung IK. IBS symptoms among smokers. Korean Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020;75(3):139-47. doi:10.4166/kjg.2020.75.3.139.
Saito YA, Mitra N, Mayer EA. IBS familial ag- gregation. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2016;111(7):982-91. doi:10.1038/ajg.2016.161.
Simrén M, Barbara G, Cremon C. IBS genetic predisposition. Neurogastroenterology & Motil- ity. 2019;31(4):e13538. doi:10.1111/nmo.13538.
Jones MP, Crowell MD. Environmental influence on IBS. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2015;13(8):1466-73. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2015.01.012.
Palsson OS, Whitehead WE. IBS and family his- tory. Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motil- ity. 2020;26(4):521-30. doi:10.5056/jnm20044.
[38] Halmos EP, Power VA, Shepherd SJ. High-FODMAP diets and IBS symptoms. Gastroenterology. 2014;146(1):67-75. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2013.09.046.
Gibson PR, Shepherd SJ. Low-FODMAP diets in IBS management. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020;26(4):320-32. doi:10.3748/wjg.v26.i4.320.
Mansour-Ghanaei F, Pourmoghaddam N, Joukar F. Legume consumption and IBS symptoms. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. 2019;24:7. doi:10.4103/jrms.JRMS_122_18.
Chitkara DK, van Tilburg MA, Whitehead WE. Psychological stress and IBS. Neuro- gastroenterology & Motility. 2018;30(3):e13265. doi:10.1111/nmo.13265.
Lackner JM, Jaccard J, Keefer L. Stress severity and IBS symptoms. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020;115(3):398-407. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000000505.
Simrén M, Törnblom H, Palsson OS. Stress sensitivity in IBS subtypes. Gut. 2017;66(10):1823-30. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2016-312457.