Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Associated Factors among Patients with Migraine Attending Dubai Health Authority Clinics: A Cross Sectional Study, Dubai, 2023

Aims: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and evaluate the associated factors of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among migraine patients attending Dubai Health Authority clinics in Dubai. In addition, we assessed the potential association between food allergy and migraine.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Dubai health authority clinics, between February and May 2023.

Methods: The sample size was 312; it was done through a cross-sectional study through a Google Forms questionnaire distributed among known cases of migraine who are more than 18 years of age attending Dubai Health Authority (DHA) clinics. The survey includes 2 parts: the consent then the questionnaire, which is subdivided into 4 parts: demographics, questionnaire about migraine characteristics, Rome 4 criteria to screen for irritable bowel syndrome, a questionnaire to screen for anxiety and depression using Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Analysis was done through the IBM SPSS Statistics version 28.0 program.

Results: The prevalence of IBS was 36.9% among migraine patients. The prevalence is greater among females, students, and those in the 30-39 age group. It was significantly noticed that those with longer headache duration have a higher prevalence of IBS 52.4% (p-value= 0.050); also, those with a family history of migraine had a higher prevalence of IBS 43.1% (p-value= 0.019). In the food allergy analysis, 27.6% of the patients were having food allergies. We have found that people allergic to citrus, coffee, and dairy products are more likely to develop IBS symptoms. We have found that the prevalence of IBS was higher in those with mild and moderate forms of anxiety and depression.

Conclusion: In conclusion, there is an association of IBS in migraine patients attending Dubai Health Authority clinics, but further study is needed.