Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among Individuals With Symptomatic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Kearney, David J.; Kamp, Kendra; Storms, Meghan; Simpson, Tracy L.

doi:10.1097/mcg.0000000000001670

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…However, gut feelings can also occur from events that are not always associated with falling. For example, losing a loved one, experiencing war, or sexual assault can provoke gut feelings and even trigger visceral anguish when they are recalled from memory—a process underlying posttraumatic stress disorder, which is comorbid in many patients with IBS ( 96 ). It is possible that as Homo sapiens evolved a larger and more complex brain capable of processing both physical and psychosocial threats, we co-opted our g-force accelerometer to alert for any serious threat rather than evolve a new program.…”

Section: Emotional Cognitive and Behavioral Consequences Of G-force H...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gravity and the Gut: A Hypothesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Spiegel

2022

Am J Gastroenterol

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The pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—a disorder of gut-brain interaction that affects up to 10% of the world's population—remains uncertain. It is puzzling that a disorder so prevalent and archetypal among humans can be explained by disparate theories, respond to treatments with vastly different mechanisms of action, and present with a dazzling array of comorbidities. It is reasonable to question whether there is a unifying factor that binds these divergent theories and observations, and if so, what that factor might be. This article offers a testable hypothesis that seeks to accommodate the manifold theories, clinical symptoms, somatic comorbidities, neuropsychological features, and treatment outcomes of IBS by describing the syndrome in relation to a principal force of human evolution: gravity. In short, the hypothesis proposed here is that IBS may result from ineffective anatomical, physiological, and neuropsychological gravity management systems designed to optimize gastrointestinal form and function, protect somatic and visceral integrity, and maximize survival in a gravity-bound world. To explain this unconventional hypothesis of IBS pathogenesis, referred to herein as the gravity hypothesis, this article reviews the influence of gravity on human evolution; discusses how Homo sapiens imperfectly evolved to manage this universal force of attraction; and explores the mechanical, microbial, and neuropsychological consequences of gravity intolerance with a focus on explaining IBS. This article concludes by considering the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of this new hypothesis and proposes experiments to support or reject this line of inquiry. It is hoped that the ideas in this thought experiment may also help encourage new or different ways of thinking about this common disorder.

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Section: Emotional Cognitive and Behavioral Consequences Of G-force H...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gravity and the Gut: A Hypothesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Spiegel

2022

Am J Gastroenterol

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“…Numerous studies have shown that psychiatric disorders frequently accompany IBS, particularly depressive and anxiety disorders, which occur in up to 23% of IBS cases ( 6 , 7 ). Comorbidities of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia have also been identified in IBS patients; for instance, 36% of IBS patients met the lifetime diagnostic criteria of PTSD ( 8 , 9 ), and 13.6% of PTSD patients met the Rome III criteria for IBS ( 9 , 10 ). The prevalence of IBS in schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was significantly higher than that in the control group without schizophrenia and ADHD ( 8 , 11 , 12 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic associations and potential mediators between psychiatric disorders and irritable bowel syndrome: a Mendelian randomization study with mediation analysis

Zhang,

Chen,

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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ObjectivePotential causal associations between psychiatric disorders and irritable bowel syndrome have been demonstrated in observational studies; however, these studies are susceptible to underlying confounding and reverse causation biases. We aimed to assess the causal effects of psychiatric disorders on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the potential mediators from a genetic perspective by conducting a Mendelian randomization (MR) study with mediation analysis.MethodGenetic instruments associated with psychiatric disorders, potential mediators, and IBS were obtained from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Three MR methods - the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, MR-Egger method, and weighted median method, were used to investigate causal association estimates. Heterogeneity among different genetic instrumental variables (IVs) was assessed using Q tests. Additionally, the MR-PRESSO and MR-Pleiotropy methods were used to verify horizontal pleiotropy and detect outliers that might bias the results, which were removed from further analysis. Consequently, we used MR mediation analysis to investigate potential mediators in the causal associations between psychiatric disorders and IBS.ResultsMR provided evidence of the causal effects of genetically predicted broad depression, major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia on IBS. The results of MR mediation analysis demonstrated that the reduction in acetate levels mediated 12.6% of the effects of broad depression on IBS; insomnia mediated 16.00%, 16.20%, and 27.14% of the effects of broad depression, MDD, and PTSD on IBS, respectively; and the increase in blood β-hydroxybutyrate levels mediated 50.76% of the effects of schizophrenia on IBS.ConclusionOur study confirmed the brain-gut axis involvement and potential modulators in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorder-induced IBS from a genetic perspective, and suggests potential therapeutic targets for the disrupted brain-gut axis.

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“…In studies among U.S. Veterans, PTSD has been correlated to IBS in several studies and meta-analysis. 8 – 10 A study of Gulf War Veterans found that those with PTSD had higher odds of also being diagnosed with IBS, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and colonic polyps. 11 A national study of over 60,000 Veterans with IBD found the rate of co-occurring IBD and PTSD to be rising in this population, whereas incidence of co-occurring IBD and depression was declining.…”

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confidence: 99%

The relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder and gastrointestinal disease in United States Military Veterans

Kent

2024

SAGE Open Medicine

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Background: This study examined the relationship between gastrointestinal disease and post-traumatic stress disorder in U.S. military Veterans. Based on literature and clinical practice data sources from the U.S. Veterans Administration, gastrointestinal disease and post-traumatic stress disorder were hypothesized to be positively correlated in Veterans. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the frequency with which gastrointestinal disease and post-traumatic stress disorder are diagnosed comorbidities, a diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease accompanies a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder accompanies a diagnosis of a gastrointestinal disease. Methods: The methodology was a retrospective, correlational design using data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs patient database. Results: The results were that post-traumatic stress disorder is bi-directionally correlated with the gastrointestinal diseases of gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcer disease, functional dyspepsia, Crohn’s disease, diverticular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and the symptoms of constipation and nausea/vomiting within Veterans who served during wartime periods. The study also found that post-traumatic stress disorder is not correlated with ulcerative colitis in Veterans. Conclusions: The conclusions are that clinicians who see a presentation of post-traumatic stress disorder should be screening for gastrointestinal disease, while primary care and gastroenterology providers treating gastrointestinal disease should be screening for a history of trauma, as improved diagnosis rates may lead to improved treatment.

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Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among Individuals With Symptomatic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Cited by 6 publications

References 32 publications

Gravity and the Gut: A Hypothesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Gravity and the Gut: A Hypothesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Genetic associations and potential mediators between psychiatric disorders and irritable bowel syndrome: a Mendelian randomization study with mediation analysis

The relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder and gastrointestinal disease in United States Military Veterans

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