Mental traumas, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, natural disaster, road accident, or the experience of physical or emotional abuse, may contribute to the development of irritable bowel syndrome in adults, research indicates.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (USA) presented their results on the subject at the 76th meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, held in Washington.
The research was conducted in a group of 2623 people. It turned out that, compared to healthy participants, patients with irritable bowel syndrome had more traumatic experiences, both in childhood and after 18 years of age.
As Yuri Saito-Loftus, who presented the research in Washington, recalled, earlier studies have linked mental stress with the risk of irritable bowel syndrome. Half of the patients suffering from this disease admit to having experienced childhood violence, which is twice as many as among people without the disease.
So far, however, most research on this issue has focused on sexual abuse and has not covered other stressful experiences, the researcher noted. “Our study was the first to look at different types of traumas, the time they occurred, and family conditions,” Saito-Loftus explained. According to her, people with irritable bowel syndrome more often admitted to having experienced general traumas than to experiencing physical, psychological or sexual abuse.
Irritable bowel syndrome (formerly known as gut neurosis) is a chronic digestive disorder characterized by abdominal pain, gas, and bowel movements. There are three types of this disease: one is dominated by diarrhea, the other is constipated, and the third is diarrhea and constipation alternating. There may also be nausea and vomiting, heartburn, headache, indigestion.
It is the most common gastrointestinal disease. Data from developed countries, such as the USA or Western European countries, indicate that it concerns from 10 to 20 percent. population. It usually develops before the age of 50. Women suffer from it more often.
Statistics also indicate that it is one of the most frequent reasons for visits to general practitioners, performing diagnostic tests, as well as absenteeism from work or a drop in productivity. The disease significantly reduces the quality of life, as it negatively affects sleep, intimate life and spending free time.
The causes of irritable bowel syndrome are not well understood. Doctors suspect that a history of food infections, improper diet poor in plant fiber, mental factors, i.e. severe stresses and tension, disturbances in the regulation of the digestive system by the nervous system, which results in intestinal motility disorders and their hypersensitivity to stimuli, are involved in its development. .
In the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, diet, medication and psychotherapy are used.
According to Saito-Loftus, the results of her team confirm that severe trauma can cause changes in the nervous system that will manifest itself in the hypersensitivity of the digestive system to various stimuli.
“Irritable bowel syndrome patients often wonder why the disease happened to them. Therefore, it is very important that the patients themselves and their doctors have knowledge about the potential relationship of this disease with stressful experiences “- the researcher said.
It is also very important that patients and doctors do not minimize the role of stress in worsening the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, she emphasized. “People who think they have dealt with their traumatic experiences on their own, and still have symptoms of this condition, should be encouraged to seek professional psychological help,” concluded Saito-Loftus.