Increased prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders of gut‐brain interaction during the COVID‐19 pandemic: An internet‐based survey

Nakov, Radislav; Dimitrova-Yurukova, Desislava; Snegarova, Violeta; Nakov, Ventsislav; Fox, Mark; Heinrich, Henriette

doi:10.1111/nmo.14197

Cited by 35 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Recent evidence suggests that stress has resulted in an increase in the prevalence of IBS during the COVID‐19 pandemic. 21 Moreover, patients with IBS and high levels of anxiety, such as those included in our study are more likely to be susceptible to severe exacerbations due to aberrant coping strategies 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 and lower levels of resilience, 26 catastrophizing and somatization, 27 potentially explaining the more severe somatic (non‐colonic) symptoms, extreme loss of control and helplessness as well as sleep disturbance among those within the pandemic cohort in our study. While the exact reasons for more sleep disturbance in the pandemic group is unclear, social support during the pandemic restrictions may be a contributory factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

The symptom burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in tertiary care during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Noble

Hasan

Whorwell

et al. 2022

Neurogastroenterology Motil

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Background The COVID‐19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruption to healthcare services worldwide with well‐documented detrimental effects on mental health. Patients with refractory disorders of gut‐brain interaction such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) seen in tertiary care tend to exhibit higher levels of psychological comorbidity, but the impact of the pandemic on IBS symptom severity in tertiary care is unknown. Methods As part of routine clinical care, consecutive tertiary referrals with refractory IBS patients prospectively completed a series of baseline questionnaires including IBS symptom severity score (IBS‐SSS), non‐colonic symptom score, Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD), and Illness impact scores. The symptom severity questionnaire data were compared for consecutive patients seen in tertiary care 12 months before and after the onset of COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions. Key Results Of 190 consecutive tertiary referrals with IBS, those seen during the pandemic had greater IBS severity (IBS‐SSS: 352 vs. 318, p = 0.03), more severe extra‐intestinal symptoms (non‐colonic score: 269 vs. 225, p = 0.03), sleep difficulties ( p = 0.03), helplessness and loss of control ( p = 0.02), but similar HAD‐Anxiety ( p = 0.96) and HAD‐Depression ( p = 0.84) scores. During the pandemic, unmarried patients ( p = 0.03), and keyworkers ( p = 0.0038) had greater IBS severity. Conclusions and Inferences This study has shown for the first time that patients seen in tertiary care with refractory IBS during the COVID‐19 pandemic had a significantly higher symptom burden emphasizing the importance of gut‐brain axis in IBS. Furthermore, lack of support and perceived loss of control appear to be contributory factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

The symptom burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in tertiary care during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Noble

Hasan

Whorwell

et al. 2022

Neurogastroenterology Motil

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“… 19 Similarly, a cross-sectional survey comparing the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in the Bulgarian adult population before and during the COVID-19 lockdown period reported increased rates of overall gastrointestinal symptoms (68.9% vs. 56.0%, P < 0.001), functional dyspepsia (18.3% vs. 12.7%, P < 0.001), and heartburn (31.7% vs. 26.2%, P = 0.002). 20 …”

Section: Impact Of Covid-19 Lockdown Periods On Gastrointestinal Symp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Antacids revisited: review on contemporary facts and relevance for self-management

Sangwan¹,

Narang²,

Taneja³

2022

J Int Med Res

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Heartburn and acid regurgitation are the typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux. Despite the availability of several treatment options, antacids remain the mainstay treatment for gastroesophageal reflux-related symptoms based on their efficacy, safety, and over-the-counter availability. Antacids are generally recommended for adults and children at least 12 years old, and the FDA recommends antacids as the first-line treatment for heartburn in pregnancy. This narrative review summarizes the mechanism, features, and limitations related to different antacid ingredients and techniques available to study the acid neutralization and buffering capacity of antacid formulations. Using supporting clinical evidence for different antacid ingredients, it also discusses the importance of antacids as OTC medicines and first-line therapies for heartburn, particularly in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which reliance on self-care has increased. The review will also assist pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in helping individuals with heartburn to make informed self-care decisions and educating them to ensure that antacids are used in an optimal, safe, and effective manner.

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“…Interestingly, within the overall network, gastrointestinal (GI) symptom‐related coronavirus anxiety (Item 5 of the CAS: “I felt nauseous or had stomach problems when I thought about or was exposed to information about the coronavirus”) was the most central symptom in terms of node strength centrality. There have been reports of increased prevalence of GI symptoms during the COVID‐19 lockdown, and it has been shown that the increase in GI symptoms was associated with anxiety (Abenavoli et al, 2021 ; Nakov et al, 2021 ). In this study, the high centrality of GI symptoms in the network adds to the knowledge of the connection between the GI tract and the nervous system, also known as the “gut‐brain axis.”…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety in nonpsychotic psychiatric outpatients during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A network analysis

Kim

Seo

Lee

et al. 2022

Depression and Anxiety

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Background The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people worldwide. This study examined dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety in nonpsychotic psychiatric outpatients during the pandemic using the coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS) and examined the relationship between coronavirus anxiety and clinical symptoms using network analysis. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 192 patients who first visited the psychiatric outpatient clinic of Severance Hospital during the COVID‐19 pandemic with chief complaints of depressed mood, anxiety, somatic symptoms, or insomnia were included. We compared the clinical characteristics of patients with and without dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety. Network analysis was conducted to estimate the network of coronavirus anxiety and depressive, anxious, and hypochondriacal psychopathology. Results The results showed that 7.8% of patients exhibited dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety (CAS ≥ 5). Patients with dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety showed higher levels of health worry, somatic preoccupation, and subjective anxiety compared to patients without dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety. In the network analysis, the health worry node (Item 6 of the WI) showed the greatest number of connections with coronavirus anxiety nodes. Conclusions These findings suggest that health worry may be an important bridge symptom that connects coronavirus anxiety and other clinical psychopathology. Patients with elevated health worries should be carefully monitored during the COVID‐19 pandemic for exacerbation of previous symptoms and COVID‐19‐related psychopathology. Understanding the psychological factors in the face of the pandemic and their relationships with clinical psychiatric symptoms would help people prevent and overcome mental health problems during the pandemic.

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Increased prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders of gut‐brain interaction during the COVID‐19 pandemic: An internet‐based survey

Cited by 35 publications

References 33 publications

The symptom burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in tertiary care during the COVID‐19 pandemic

The symptom burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in tertiary care during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Antacids revisited: review on contemporary facts and relevance for self-management

Dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety in nonpsychotic psychiatric outpatients during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A network analysis

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