Determining the frequency of irritabl bowel syndrome in health care professionals and evaluation of related factors

Introduction and Aim: This study is designed to determine the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and related factors in healthcare workers at Dicle University Medical Faculty Hospital in Diyarbakır. Material and Methods: Between January and February 2019, demographic characteristics, etiological characteristics and the diagnosis of IBS according to ROMA IV criteria were questioned through the questions asked by the researcher. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Results: The mean age of the 307 participants included in the survey was 30 and 50.2% of participants were women. The IBS prevalence was found to be 3.3% according to Rome IV criteria. The most common subtype according to both Bristol Scale and Roma IV criteria was IBS-M. IBS was significantly higher in females Roma IV (p=0,01). IBS were significantly more frequent in physicians (p=0,015), who had high-income (p=0,026) and post-graduate education (p=0,034). In addition, IBS was more common in patients with a history of disease in the gastrointestinal tract (p=0,037). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of IBS differs due to diagnostic criteria, we found that IBS prevalence in healthcare workers are similar to those with general population. IBS needs to be well understood by family practitioner for differential diagnosis. KEYWORDS: Iritable bowel syndrome, diagnosis, healthcare workers, prevalence.