Correlation of irritable bowel syndrome subtype based on the Rome IV Criteria with body mass index

Purpose: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that is common in the community and deteriorates the quality of life. The Roma IV criteria are the current diagnostic method for the diagnosis of IBS. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the subtype of IBS patients diagnosed based on the Rome IV criteria and body mass index (BMI). Material and Method:The age, sex, IBS subtype (diarrhea-weighted, constipation-weighted, mixed and unsubtyped) and BMI (kg/m2) of the patients presented to the general surgery outpatient clinic of Ordu University Training and Research Hospital between June 1, 2017 - January 1, 2018 and diagnosed with IBS based on the Roma IV criteria were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The mean age of 452 patients with IBS was 35.19±10.16 years (min 18-max 68 years). The BMI values were found as follows: 8 (1.8%) patients had a BMI value of <18.5 kg/m2, 100 (22.1%) patients had a BMI value of 18.5-24.9 kg/m2, 134 (29.6%) patients had a BMI value of 25-29.9 kg/m2, 210 (46.5%) patients had a BMI value of > 30 kg/m2. It was found that of the patients, 78 (17.3%) were diarrhea-weighted, 214 (47.3%) were constipation-weighted, 125 (27.7%) were mixed, and 35 (7.7%) were unsubtyped. In the study, there was no statistically significant difference between IBS subtype and BMI (p>0.05). Conclusion: In our study, there was no statistically significant correlation between IBS subtype and BMI. We are of the opinion that our study will shed light on the future studies with larger population