Relationship of Bloating to Other GI and Menstrual Symptoms in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Authors: Heitkemper M.M.¹; Cain K.C.²; Jarrett M.E.³; Burr R.L.³; Crowell M.D.⁴; Woods N.F.⁵

Source: Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Volume 49, Number 1, January 2004 , pp. 88-95(8)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

This report examines the relationships between bloating and other symptoms in young women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), using both retrospective and daily diary measures of symptoms. Of the 195 IBS women, 147 (75%) reported retrospectively that they often feel bloated and distended. Across-women analyses of both retrospective and daily diary data show that bloating is most strongly associated with constipation, abdominal pain, and intestinal gas. Within-woman analyses of daily symptoms also show a strong association of bloating with abdominal pain and intestinal gas (i.e., abdominal pain and intestinal gas are higher on days when bloating is higher) but only a weak association with constipation. Bloating is strongly associated with uterine cramping and breast tenderness, but only when perimenses days are included in the analysis. In conclusion, bloating is a very common symptom in women with IBS that is most strongly related to abdominal pain and intestinal gas but may be confounded with menses-associated symptoms.

Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome; bloating; gastrointestinal; female

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:DDAS.0000011608.82893.71

Affiliations: 1: Department of Biobehavioral Nursing & Health Systems, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington;, Email: heit@u.washington.edu 2: Office of Nursing Research, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 3: Department of Biobehavioral Nursing & Health Systems, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 4: Center for Enteric Neuromuscular Disorders, Department of Gastroenterology, Mayo Foundation and Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA 5: Department of Family & Child Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Publication date: 2004-01-01

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