Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) is one of the most common psychosomatic diseases, and is often accompanied with autonomic nervous system dysfunction. We studied body temperature circadian rhythm in IBS patients. Subjects were consisted of 16 patients with IBS (5 males and 11 females, 46.8±15.0 years old) and 20 normal controls (5 male and 15 female, 41.7±13.9 years old). In July, subaxillar body temperature was measured with an electronic thermometer by each examinee seven times a day (on wake up, 9 am, 0 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm and before sleep) for seven days in their routine living setting. Times of each meal and sleep were recorded. Nine in 16 IBS patients and 8 in 20 controls repeated the same procedures in November of the same year. Temperature was averaged through a week at each time of a day in each examinee, and statistically compared between the two groups by ANOVA with repeated measures. In summer, body temperature of IBS patients was significantly lower than that of controls(p<0.01). A significant difference of body temperature between male and female subjects was seen only in the control group(p<0.05), but not in the IBS group. In IBS patients, body temperature of the constipation-predominant type was significantly lower than that of the diarrhea-predominant type and the alternating diarrhea and constipation type(p<0.05). Although seasonal alteration was insignificant in the control group, IBS patients showed significantly lower body temperature in winter than in summer(p<0.05). Amplitude of body temperature did not significantly correlated with either the number of fasting in a week or the length of sleep. Abnormal circadian rhythm and seasonal alteration of body temperature were observed in IBS patients, suggesting that the body temperature regulation is inappropriate.
