Irritable Bowel Syndrome and surgery

People with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disease of unknown origin involving abdominal pain and diarrhoea are more likely to undergo several types of surgery, including gallbladder removal and appendectomy, than other people. Researchers from the Kaiser Medical Center in San Diego and Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena, California, conducted a study of nearly 90,000 subjects who completed medical and lifestyle questionnaires. Of the six surgeries studied, gallbladder removal, appendectomy, hysterectomy, and back surgery were all significantly more common among IBS patients than among other subjects. The strongest link was with gallbladder removal, which was twice as common among patients with IBS as those without the condition. By contrast, rates for coronary artery surgery and peptic ulcer surgery were similar for subjects with and without IBS. Researchers concluded that follow-up data on the indications and outcomes of surgery in IBS is now needed to find out whether the excess surgery in IBS is cause or effect.