PREVALENCE OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, changed bowel habits without organic pathology. It affects 10-15% of the population worldwide. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among medical students in Saudi Arabia. All students from 2nd to 6th year were included as total enumeration. The sample size was 115 students. Data were collected by a pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The results showed that 9.6%of the students claimed to have IBS: However, only 7.3% were previously diagnosed with the condition. The mixed subtype was 61% of the cases. Constipation and diarrhea subtypes were 22.1% and 16.9% respectively. Prevalence of IBS in students with GPA higher than 4 was 45.5%. The results showed that 8 (72%) of the students with IBS had high GPA compared to 3 (27.3%) who had low GPA; the association is not significant (p=0.635). Conclusion: This study concluded that the prevalence of IBS among medical students in Saudi Arabia was low; the mixed was the most common subtype. Prevalence was higher among students with higher GPA. Keywords: Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Prevalence; Medical Student