Anxiety, depression, and catecholamine levels after self-management intervention in irritable bowel syndrome.

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often report higher levels of psychological distress, specifically anxiety, and depression than non-IBS patients. The management of gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological distress is demonstrably amenable to cognitive-behavioral therapies in a significant number of patients with IBS. The present secondary analysis evaluates the impact of nurse-delivered self-management interventions on anxiety, depression, and urine catecholamine levels in adult IBS patients.

Conditioned pain modulation in women with irritable bowel syndrome.

Evidence suggests that patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are more vigilant to pain-associated stimuli. The aims of this study were to compare women with IBS (n = 20) to healthy control (HC, n = 20) women on pain sensitivity, conditioned pain modulation (CPM) efficiency, and salivary cortisol levels before and after the CPM test and to examine the relationship of CPM efficiency with gastrointestinal pain, somatic pain, psychological distress symptoms, and salivary cortisol levels in each group. Women, aged 20-42 years, gave consent, completed questionnaires, and kept a symptom diary for 2 weeks.

Effect of self-management intervention on cortisol and daily stress levels in irritable bowel syndrome.

Self-management programs that include cognitive behavioral strategies have been shown to improve gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, psychological distress, and quality of life (QoL) in persons with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, less is known about the physiological impact of such a change. As part of a randomized controlled trial using a comprehensive self-management (CSM) intervention (n = 126) compared to usual care (UC; n = 62), cortisol levels were measured in 4 weekly first morning urine samples at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up.

Does a self-management program change dietary intake in adults with irritable bowel syndrome?

Making dietary changes such as increasing fiber intake is recommended for the management of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. Few studies have explored the efficacy of education on compliance with recommendations such as increasing fiber, vegetable, and fruit intake in adults with irritable bowel syndrome. This study examined the effect of a multicomponent self-management intervention that included strategies to enhance fiber, vegetable, and fruit intake.