Abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome in adolescents: A community-based study

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to determine (1) the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain in a community-based population of adolescents, (2) whether a subgroup of these subjects have symptoms resembling irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and (3) whether anxiety and de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of pediatrics 1996-08, Vol.129 (2), p.220-226
Main Authors: Hyams, Jeffrey S., Burke, Georgine, Davis, Patricia M., Rzepski, Barbara, Andrulonis, Paul A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdominal Pain - diagnosis
Abdominal Pain - epidemiology
Abdominal Pain - psychology
Adolescent
Anxiety - diagnosis
Anxiety - epidemiology
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Colonic Diseases, Functional - diagnosis
Colonic Diseases, Functional - epidemiology
Colonic Diseases, Functional - psychology
Connecticut - epidemiology
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - epidemiology
Ethnic Groups
Family
Female
Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen
Headache - diagnosis
Headache - epidemiology
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Office Visits - statistics & numerical data
Other diseases. Semiology
Personality Inventory
Prevalence
Sex Factors
Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to determine (1) the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain in a community-based population of adolescents, (2) whether a subgroup of these subjects have symptoms resembling irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and (3) whether anxiety and depression are more commonly found in adolescents with IBS-type symptoms compared with unaffected adolescents. METHODS: We collected data by administration of a gastrointestinal symptoms questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Children's Depression Inventory to middle school and high school students. RESULTS: A total of 507 subjects participated (mean age of middle school students 12.6 years; mean age of high school students 15.6 years). Abdominal pain was noted by 75% of all students. The pain occurred weekly in 13% to 17% of the subjects and was severe enough to affect activities in approximately 21%. Irritable bowel syndrome-type symptoms were noted by 17% of high school students and 8% of middle school students ( p
ISSN:0022-3476
1097-6833
DOI:10.1016/S0022-3476(96)70246-9