Allergy Linked To Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Posted in February 18th, 2009

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

A new study suggests that adults with allergy symptoms have a higher risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome. The link is between atopic disorders, which is an allergic hypersensitivity, and IBS.

The study involved 125 patients and was conducted by Rush University Medical Center. The research team found that patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis were more than 2 ½ times as likely to have IBS and those with allergic eczema were nearly 4 times as likely to have IBS.

According to the researchers: “The reported presence of allergic dermatitis was highly correlated to the presence of IBS in our population. In atopic disease, allergic dermatitis is the first step of the ‘atopic march.’ In early childhood, AE (allergic eczema) is frequently associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction and food allergy. A clinical history of AE may be a useful marker for patients with gut hypersensitivity and atopic IBS.”

In addition, the study shows that 29% of asthma patients also had irritable bowel syndrome, a finding that correlates with previous studies.

The results of this, as well as previous related studies, led the researchers to suggest that “this subgroup of IBS (atopic IBS) be considered separately from patients with IBS without atopic symptoms, because they may have distinct pathophysiologic features and may benefit from specific therapeutic interventions.”

The findings of this study were published in the January, 2009 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Rating: 8.0/10 (2 votes cast)