Abstract
Background: Cigarette smoking has recently been associated with several
gastrointestinal symptoms, and smoking cessation has been recommended as
a life style change strategy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This
study assessed the prevalence of IBS in cigarette smokers based on the
Rome IV criteria, the severity of nicotine dependence, and the effect of
smoking cessation in IBS(+) smokers. Method: This prospective study
included 371 smokers who attended for smoking cessation treatment at
family medicine clinics in a tertiary hospital between January and April
2019. Data on demographic characteristics, IBS status according to the
Rome IV criteria, and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)
scores were collected during face-to-face interviews. Results: The mean
patient age was 40.7 ± 11.96 years, 29.4% were heavy smokers, and
18.1% had IBS. There was no relationship between the presence of IBS
and the nicotine dependence level; however, there was a significant
difference in age (P=0.03), duration of smoking (P=0.05), FTND score
(P=0.02), and sex (P<0.001) between those with and without
IBS. Logistic regression analyses identified female sex to be a
predictor of IBS in smokers (adjusted odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidence
interval 1.18–2.69; P=0.006). At the one-year follow-up, IBS(+) smokers
who had quit smoking showed a decrease in gastrointestinal symptoms
(P=0.035). Conclusions: There was no association between severity of
nicotine dependence and IBS, although the FTND score was higher in
IBS(+) smokers than in IBS(-) smokers. Smoking cessation ameliorated
gastrointestinal symptoms but had no effect on IBS status. Key words:
irritable bowel syndrome, nicotine dependence, Rome IV criteria, smoking