Evaluation of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life (IBS-QOL) questionnaire in diarrheal-predominant irritable bowel syndrome patients

Abstract

BackgroundDiarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-d) significantly diminishes the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients. Psychological and social impacts are common with many IBS-d patients reporting comorbid depression, anxiety, decreased intimacy, and lost working days. The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life (IBS-QOL) questionnaire is a 34-item instrument developed and validated for measurement of HRQOL in non-subtyped IBS patients. The current paper assesses this previously-validated instrument employing data collected from 754 patients who participated in a randomized clinical trial of a novel treatment, eluxadoline, for IBS-d.MethodsPsychometric methods common to HRQOL research were employed to evaluate the IBS-QOL. Many of the historical analyses of the IBS-QOL validations were used. Other techniques that extended the original methods were applied where more appropriate for the current dataset. In IBS-d patients, we analyzed the items and substructure of the IBS-QOL via item reduction, factor structure, internal consistency, reproducibility, construct validity, and ability to detect change.ResultsThis study supports the IBS-QOL as a psychometrically valid measure. Factor analyses suggested that IBS-specific QOL as measured by the IBS-QOL is a unidimensional construct. Construct validity was further buttressed by significant correlations between IBS-QOL total scores and related measures of IBS-d severity including the historically-relevant Irritable Bowel Syndrome Adequate Relief (IBS-AR) item and the FDA’s Clinical Responder definition. The IBS-QOL also showed a significant ability to detect change as evidenced by analysis of treatment effects. A minority of the items, unrelated to the IBS-d, performed less well by the standards set by the original authors.ConclusionsWe established that the IBS-QOL total score is a psychometrically valid measure of HRQOL in IBS-d patients enrolled in this study. Our analyses suggest that the IBS-QOL items demonstrate very good construct validity and ability to detect changes due to treatment effects. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that the IBS-QOL items measure a univariate construct and we believe further modeling of the IBS-QOL from an item response theory (IRT) approach under both non-treatment and treatment conditions would greatly further our understanding as item-based methods could be used to develop a short form.

Pharmacotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome in the context of evidence-based medicine

“…про-педевтики внутренних болезней и гастроэнтерологии; тел. : +7(499)187-1097; e-mail: svch555362@yandex.ru номическими затратами на лечение, но и влиянием на качество жизни (КЖ) больных СРК, которое значительно ниже теоретически нормального уровня по всем оценива-емым критериям [4]. Более того, оно сопоставимо с тако-вым при хронической сердечной недостаточности, воспа-лительных заболеваниях кишечника и сахарном диабете, а у больных СРК и запором снижение КЖ сопоставимо с КЖ пациентов, страдающих ревматоидным и псориати-ческим артритом [5][6][7].…”

Frontline Science: Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor subtype 1 is a critical modulator of mast cell degranulation and stress-induced pathophysiology

“…A major risk factor in the onset of MC-associated disorders, including allergy, asthma, and IBS, is life stress [5][6][7]. Experimental studies in animal models and humans have reported a link between psychologic stressors and increased tissue MC activation and pathophysiology, including inflammation and intestinal permeability [8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Prevalence, symptom patterns and management of episodic diarrhoea in the community: a population‐based survey in 11 countries

“…Diarrhoea in adults is a common complaint and, while rarely life‐threatening outside of developing countries, it continues to be an important cause of morbidity . Symptoms can cause distress and incapacitate sufferers, significantly impacting on health‐related quality of life . The precise clinical presentation, time course and management requirements are dependent on the underlying pathological determinants.…”

“…1 Symptoms can cause distress and incapacitate sufferers, 2 significantly impacting on health-related quality of life. 3 The precise clinical presentation, time course and management requirements are dependent on the underlying pathological determinants. Current guidelines classify diarrhoea as either acute 1,2,4 or chronic.…”