Alcohol Use Disorder Increases the Risk of Irritable Bowel Disease

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is considered a possible risk factor for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); however, previous studies investigating the association between AUD and IBS have yielded inconsistent results. The study investigated whether AUD increases the risk of IBS by using a population-based database in Taiwan.This retrospective matched-cohort study included the health insurance claims data of 56,355 AUD inpatients and 225,420 randomly selected controls by frequency-matched for sex, age, and index year. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to measure the risk of IBS among AUD patients compared with non-AUD patients.During the follow-up period, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of IBS had 12.3-fold (95% CI: 11.9–12.7) in the AUD patients than non-AUD patients and the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for IBS in the AUD patients was 5.51 (95% CI: 4.36–6.96). For several comorbidities, the risk of IBS was significantly higher in the AUD patients than in non-AUD patients, with aHRs of 2.14 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–3.84), 2.05 (95% CI: 1.06–3.96), and 2.91 (95% CI: 1.26–6.72) for sleep disorders, acute pancreatitis, and hepatitis B, respectively. When we stratified the severity of AUD according to the length of hospital stay, the aHRs exhibited a significant correlation (P < 0.001) with severity, yielding aHRs of 3.24 (95% CI: 2.49–4.22), 11.9 (95% CI: 8.96–15.9), and 26.1 (95% CI: 19.4–35.2) for mild, moderate, and severe AUD, respectively.The risk of IBS was higher among AUD patients, and increased with the length of hospital stay.

Prevalence and risk factor for chronic diarrhea in participants of a Japanese medical checkup

“…However, lifestyle irregularity has already been reported to be a risk factor for IBS and other gastrointestinal symptoms. [21][22][23][24][25][26] In view of these findings, it can be concluded that lifestyle irregularity negatively impacts bowel movements in general, and the results of this study are valid.…”

Alcohol as friend or foe in autoimmune diseases: a role for gut microbiome?

“…Indeed, in some inflammatory diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and perennial allergies, there is a direct correlation between consumption of high alcohol doses and disease onset. 28 , 29 However, impressively, in multiple studies across autoimmune diseases, light-moderate alcohol consumption appears to reduce the disease risk, severity and progression ( Table 1 ). In the following section, we will delineate the known alcohol dose-dependent effects on autoimmune diseases.…”

Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease and their manifestations among Muhimbili university of health and allied sciences staff and students: a cross sectional study

“…21 On the other hand, another study in China found that alcohol intake was significantly associated with symptoms of IBS. 23 On the contrary, a study in Saudi Arabia among medical students IBS was predominant in males however, age and advanced academic levels were predictors of IBS. 13 Studies in Turkey, Pakistan and Nigeria among health care professionals have displayed similar findings with studies among medical students in China where being a female was associated with IBS.…”