Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Its Imprint on the Quality of Life of Undergraduate Students at a Malaysian Medical University

Background: Albeit not life-threatening, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) interfere with routine activities and compromise the quality of life (QOL). Except for one survey on the prevalence of IBS among students in Malaysia a decade back, there are no other reports. QOL in IBS is yet to be investigated in this region.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of IBS and its impact on QOL among students at a Malaysian medical university.

Methodology: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, self- reported study was conducted among 1104 students. The IBS-QOL questionnaire based on Rome III criteria and a demographic questionnaire were used.

Results: The overall prevalence of IBS was found to be 45.3%, with a female preponderance of 49.8%. It was also found to be predominant among Chinese 55% and physiotherapy students 61.7%. IBS Mixed type (IBS-M) was found to be common among all students (78.6%). The mean score for QOL for all IBS symptom positive students was 74.2±22.3.

Conclusion: The overall prevalence of IBS has escalated, particularly in Chinese, females and physiotherapy students with IBS-M type being the commonest. Chinese, IBS Diarrhoea type (IBS-D) and those with low-grade symptom severity enjoy a better QOL. Routine screening for IBS symptoms, mindfulness-based stress reduction, encouraging physical activity and reviewing curriculum overload will go a long way to improve the QOL in IBS.