Oral 5 Associations of Clinical Symptoms and Bowel Characteristics With Intestinal Microbiota in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Author Insight from Yehuda (Udi) Ringel, MD, FACG, Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center (RMC), Beilinson Hospital
What’s new here and important for clinicians?
This is the first study that specifically investigates the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and IBS-related gastrointestinal symptoms and bowel characteristics. We found that specific clinical symptoms are associated with significant alterations in the composition of the intestinal microbiota. For example, several Bacteroides groups correlated positively with pain and negatively with IBS-QOL and in contrary bifidobacteria correlated negatively with IBS severity and positively with IBS-QOL. In addition, we were able to identify several bacterial groups that explain some of the variations in stool consistency and stool frequency.
What do patients need to know?
Common IBS-related symptoms such as abdominal pain, discomfort and bloating, and alterations in bowel habits may relate to changes and abnormal composition of the bacteria that inhabit our intestine (i.e., intestinal microbiota). Although it is not clear at this point whether these changes are the cause or just the effect of IBS, patients may gain from treatments targeting/aiming to ‘improve’ the intestinal microbiota such as diet, probiotics or at certain conditions antibiotics.
Author Contact Yehuda (Udi) Ringel, MD, FACG, Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center (RMC), Beilinson Hospital
udiringel@clalit.org.il (RMC)
ringel@med.unc.edu (UNC)
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