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Visceral sensitivity remains stable over time in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, but with individual fluctuations
Author(s) -
Josefsson Axel,
Rosendahl Amanda,
Jerlstad Pernilla,
Näslin Gunilla,
Törnblom Hans,
Simrén Magnus
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
neurogastroenterology and motility
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.489
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1365-2982
pISSN - 1350-1925
DOI - 10.1111/nmo.13603
Subject(s) - barostat , irritable bowel syndrome , medicine , somatization , habituation , gastroenterology , anxiety , psychiatry , audiology
Abstract Background Visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), measured with rectal balloon distensions, using a barostat, has been suggested to be a phenomenon that is reduced due to habituation at repeated investigations. We investigated the stability of rectal sensitivity in patients with IBS who had undergone a previous rectal barostat study and assessed variations in symptom pattern and severity in relation to rectal sensory function. Method Irritable bowel syndrome patients, who had previously been undergone a rectal barostat study, were included. All patients underwent a second study 8‐12 years later. Symptoms were characterized by use of questionnaires. Key Results We included 26 subjects (17 females, median age at the index investigation 44.5 (21‐61) years). Pressure and volume sensory thresholds were unchanged at the follow‐up compared with the index investigation ( P  > 0.05 for all). At the index investigation, 8/26 patients had rectal hypersensitivity of which four were reclassified as normosensitive, and sixfrom normo‐ to hypersensitive, meaning that 10/26 patients were hypersensitive at the follow‐up investigation. IBS‐QOL had improved significantly in six of nine domains at follow‐up ( P  < 0.05 for all). There were no differences in anxiety, depression, IBS symptom severity, or somatization ( P  > 0.05) at follow‐up. None of these were associated with change in rectal sensitivity at follow‐up. Conclusions and Inferences Rectal hypersensitivity and IBS symptoms remained stable at the group level over 8‐12 years in IBS patients, even though individual fluctuations were noted. Our findings contradict previous findings indicating that visceral hypersensitivity is an unstable trait.

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