1. Clinical Characteristics and Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in a Colombian Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.
- Author
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Hernández-Velásquez, Daniel Andrés, Rodríguez-Martínez, Esteban, Montoya-Meneses, Jhonathan David, González-Ceballos, Juan Sebastián, Mosquera-Pérez, Katherin, Patiño-Mazuera, Laura, González-Montoya, Melissa, Gaviria-Mendoza, Andrés, and Machado-Alba, Jorge Enrique
- Subjects
IRRITABLE colon ,DEFECATION ,MEDICAL care ,CROSS-sectional method ,MEDICAL records ,ALUMINUM hydroxide - Abstract
Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder that leads to abdominal pain; its diagnosis is based on Rome IV criteria (recurrent abdominal pain at least 1 day per week in the last 3 months with more than two of the following: related to defecation, associated with a change in stool frequency and/or with a change in stool appearance). Objective: To characterize an outpatient population diagnosed with IBS in Colombia during 2017–2018. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a review of clinical records of patients with a primary diagnosis of IBS. A representative sample of 380 individuals was recruited from a population of 38,182 people with a new diagnosis of IBS from a drug-claim database. Sociodemographic, clinical (symptoms, type of IBS, alarm features, etc.), treatment (pharmacological or not), and follow-up variables (for those with additional medical care at 3–12 months) were analyzed. The diagnosis and treatment used in the consultation were compared with clinical guidelines. Results: Most of the 380 patients were women (n = 238; 62.6%), and the mean age was 40.1 ± 15.0 years. None of the physicians recorded the Rome IV criteria in the medical records. Unclassified IBS was the most prevalent subtype (n = 311; 81.8%), and the main symptom was abdominal pain (n = 327; 86.1%). Only 73 patients (19.2%) had follow-up data. The most frequently used drugs were aluminum hydroxide (n = 203; 53.4%) and hyoscine N-butyl bromide (n = 200; 52.6%). Regarding drugs included in the clinical practice guidelines, 19 people received loperamide (5.0%), 3 received trimebutine (0.8%), and 1 received sertraline (0.3%). Conclusions: The patients were diagnosed without clearly established criteria, and they were treated symptomatically with little follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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