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Meta-Analysis
. 2010 Sep;32(6):738-55.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2010.04409.x. Epub 2010 Jul 22.

Meta-analysis: do irritable bowel syndrome symptoms vary between men and women?

M A Adeyemo  1 , B M R Spiegel, L Chang
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Meta-analysis: do irritable bowel syndrome symptoms vary between men and women?

M A Adeyemo et al. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Studies suggest that sex and gender-related differences exist in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but data is often conflicting.

Aim: To evaluate gender differences and the effect of menstrual cycle and menopausal status on IBS symptoms.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of MEDLINE to search for studies comparing IBS symptoms between gender, menstrual cycle phases and menopausal states in IBS and/or healthy individuals. We performed meta-analyses to compare the relative risk (RR) of individual IBS symptoms between men and women.

Results: Twenty-two studies measured gender differences in IBS symptoms. Women were more likely to report abdominal pain (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.22) and constipation-related symptoms (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.23) than men (all P < 0.05). However, men with IBS were more likely to report diarrhoea-related symptoms than women with IBS (RR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.94, P < 0.05). A systematic review of 13 studies demonstrated that both IBS and healthy women reported increased IBS symptoms during menses vs. other phases. There were insufficient data to determine the effect of menopause and hormone supplementation on IBS symptoms.

Conclusions: In the general and IBS populations, gender differences in IBS symptoms exist, although these differences are modest. Studies suggest that female sex hormones influence the severity of IBS symptoms, but more studies are needed.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Results of the literature search are shown.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of studies that tested for a significant effect of IBS symptoms on menstrual cycle is presented. The p-value of significance was specific to each study. One study was not included in the figure because statistical analysis of menstrual cycle effect on bloating was not performed. Another study was not included because it did not specifically evaluate a menstrual cycle effect on these symptoms.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plots of the risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals for gender differences in general population studies evaluating abdominal pain, bloating, and straining are shown.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plots of the risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals for gender differences in IBS only studies evaluating bloating, distension, hard/lumpy stools, and infrequent stools are shown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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