Irritable bowel syndrome among paramedical students, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aim: The study was done to determine the prevalence and associated factors of IBS among paramedical students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods:A cross-sectional study was done during 2016/2017 at the Faculty of Health Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah. A multistage stratified random sample method was used to select 525 paramedical students. A standardized self-administered data collection sheet was used and contained the validated scales of Rome III Criteria, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).Results: One-third of the paramedical students met the Rome-III criteria of IBS. Nursing and dentistry students had higher IBS prevalence compared to others. IBS-Mixed and IBS-Constipation were the commonest sub-types. IBS was associated with female gender, educational specialty, family history of IBS, family income, chronic medical conditions, food hypersensitivity, traveler's diarrhea, poor sleep quality, stress, anxiety, and depression. Regression analysis revealed that female gender (aOR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.12-3.28), stress, depression, IBS family history and poor sleeping were IBS predictors after controlling of confounding factors. Conclusion:The prevalence of IBS was high among paramedical students, and it was predicted by gender, stress, depression, poor sleeping, and family history. Screening for IBS and psychological problems, stress management courses and IBS educational programs are recommended for paramedical students.

Irritable bowel syndrome and its associated factors among Jordanian medical students: A cross-sectional study

“…In that study, approximately one-third of paramedical students were diagnosed with IBS based on the Rome III criteria. [17] An Egyptian survey of 382 medical students revealed that 31.7% of participants were affected by IBS, according to the Rome III criteria. [18] In a cross-sectional study from Lebanon, a total of 813 university students were included, and the IBS diagnosis was ascertained using the Rome III criteria.…”

“…Consistent with our results, this finding was reported in a study of medical students from Saudi Arabia. [17] In a more recent study that used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to investigate 956 individuals with sleep disturbance, sleep disturbance was found to be significantly associated with IBS (OR = 1.51, P = .043). [28] In a study from Italy, the authors investigated the links between quality of sleep and the severity of intestinal symptoms in 142 patients with IBS who met the Rome III criteria.…”

“…[20] Similar results have been reported in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Nigeria. [17,21,22] In a meta-analysis by Oka et al, [4] the prevalence of IBS was higher in women than in men (12•0% [95% CI 9.3-15•0] vs 8.6% [6•3-11•2]; odds ratio [OR]: 1.46 [95% CI 1.33-1.59]). The results of this study and other investigations concerning sex differences in relation to IBS agree with a meta-analysis review of 22 studies measuring gender differences in IBS symptoms.…”

“…This trend was observed among university students in Saudi Arabia and South Korea. [17,26] A case-cohort study from Sweden reported that genetic factors are important for the familial clustering of IBS and familial odds of developing IBS among first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree relatives. [27] In that study, the ORs for IBS were 1.75 for siblings, 1.82 in offspring, 1.90 for parents, 1.10 in maternal half-siblings, 1.78 in paternal half-siblings, 1.27 in nieces/nephews, and 1.11 in cousins.…”