Prevalence and Associated Factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome among Medical Students at King Khalid University.

Background: The stressful life of medical students might induce or exacerbate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and related factors of IBS among medical students at King Khalid University (KKU), Saudi Arabia.

Materials And Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at the KKU. The data collection period was from January to February 2018. Stratified sampling technique was used that included medical students from the second to the sixth year, using self-administered questionnaires contain socio-demographics, medical history, Rome criteria IV, and a personality scale of manifest anxiety.

Results: The intended participants were 400 medical students (100%) with 363 (90%) respondents. The mean age was 22 ± 1.6 years; there were 52.9% males and 47.1% females. The prevalence rate of IBS according to the Rome IV criteria was 10.7%. Regarding diagnostic criteria for IBS subtypes, 23.1% represented for both IBS with predominant constipation and IBS with predominant diarrhea, IBS with mixed bowel habits, both diarrhea and constipation, are the higher percentage (43.6%), and IBS unclassified subtype represented by 10.3%. Chi-square test showed high correlation between age and smoking and body mass index (P = 0.04 and 0.05, respectively). Further, there is a significant relationship between IBS and anxiety level (P = 0.04). No gender difference was noted.

Conclusion: The prevalence of IBS among medical students at KKU was highest in the age group of 21-23 years, who were nonsmokers, and who had a relatively high grade point average. We did not find a gender difference. Compared to non-IBS students, the anxiety level of the students with IBS was dramatically higher.