Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common disease among colonic diseases. However, the data concerning distribution of IBS in each age are less than satisfactory. The major purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical figures of IBS in each age. Therefore we made three studies. Study 1 ; Ambulatory psychosomatic clinic population survey, from which we examined the distribution of 329 cases in sex and each age of three subtypes (diarrhea, constipation, alternative type) and psychological characteristics of patients. Study 2 ; The distribution of 1,320 persons examined by nonclinical population questionnaire survey of bowel habits in sex and each age. This survey was made by investigator's asking method. The hardness of feces was also measured in 649 persons. Study 3 ; Colonic motility study of 66 patients with IBS. Results : Study 1 revealed the peak of the patient's age was thirties in both sex. The age over sixties was only 2. 7%. Diarrhea type was dominant in males, but the incidence of diarrhea type was decreased with age in males. Constipation type was dominant in females, and the incidence of 3 subtypes was identical in all ages. The psychological characteristics were anxiety state in 45%, hysteria in 25%, and depressive state in 20% and identical in all ages, except for over sixties which showed depressive state in 56%. From the results of study 2,the distribution rate of bowel disturbance of nonclinical population was akin to that of subtype distribution of patients with IBS. The hardness of feces increased with age in males. Study 3 showed that colonic motility was significantly decreased with age in ascending colon in diarrhea type at basal, and no significant correlation was found between other subtypes and sites of the colon. These results demonstrated that patients seen by physicians are the tip of the iceberg and the clinical characteristics of patients with IBS differ with each age.
