Global prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome: time to consider factors beyond diagnostic criteria?

The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Fecha de publicación: July 20, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30211-9

Autores: Dipesh H Vasant

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional bowel disorder, characterised by abdominal pain, bloating, and alterations in bowel habit. IBS is associated with considerable stigmatisation and substantial health-care costs. Previous estimates of its global prevalence have become outdated, not least due to changes in diagnostic criteria for IBS, and until recently the paucity of large, multinational studies on prevalence had been a limiting factor.