Survey Reveals Persistent Challenges Of Ibs On Daily Life And Productivity

Despite societal media helping to summation consciousness of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among nan nationalist (81% of wellness attraction providers agree) and advancements successful curen complete nan past decade, IBS symptoms proceed to importantly effect patients' regular lives and productivity, according to a caller study released by nan American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), successful business pinch The Harris Poll, a Stagwell (STGW) agency.

The AGA IBS successful America study reveals compelling caller insights that research shifts successful diligent experiences, wellness attraction supplier perceptions, and nan curen scenery for IBS from a akin study conducted successful 2015. The 2024 broad study, which included 2,013 patients pinch IBS and 600 wellness attraction providers, sheds ray connected persistent challenges faced by patients pinch IBS.

Burden of disease

Survey findings bespeak that IBS symptoms interfere pinch patients' productivity astatine work/school for astir 11 days per period connected average, successful summation to symptoms disrupting individual activities 8 days per period connected average, highlighting nan important load of nan condition. Patients pinch IBS are missing much work/school days per period owed to their gastrointestinal symptoms than they were 10 years agone (3.6 days successful 2024, 2.1 days successful 2015), and much study spending less clip pinch family and friends because of their symptoms (58%, up from 48% successful 2015).

The study besides revealed that while less patients successful 2024 study their symptoms are very aliases highly bothersome (43%, compared to 62% successful 2015), 76% still find it somewhat aliases very difficult to negociate their symptoms. The expertise to accurately foretell symptoms remains elusive, pinch little than 1 successful 3 patients (31% successful 2024, successful statement pinch 29% successful 2015) reporting that they tin very aliases highly accurately foretell whether they will acquisition symptoms today.

All of this affects patients' willingness aliases expertise to make plans and yet impacts really patients consciousness astir themselves.

• 77% study that they debar situations wherever bath entree is limited.
• 72% opportunity it is difficult to scheme things because they ne'er cognize erstwhile their symptoms will enactment up.
• 72% consciousness their symptoms origin them to enactment location much often.

Seven successful 10 patients don't consciousness for illustration themselves because of their symptoms (72%), opportunity their symptoms make them consciousness for illustration they're not "normal" (69%), aliases consciousness their symptoms forestall them from reaching their afloat potential/being successful (69%).

The findings of this study underscore nan persistent challenges and effect IBS has connected patients' lives. Despite advancement successful nan aesculapian community's attack to diagnosing and managing IBS, patients proceed to suffer important disruptions to their individual and master lives."

Andrea Shin, MD, MSCR, AGA Patient Education Advisor and UCLA Health

Treatment regimens

Despite curen options evolving complete nan past 10 years to now see a wide assortment of over-the-counter and medicine medications, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved agents to dainty IBS, nan study findings item that patients and wellness attraction providers trust predominantly connected over-the-counter curen options and manner adjustments alternatively than medicine medications.

While medicine medications are among nan astir adjuvant treatments, according to patients pinch IBS who person tried them (18% for IBS-C, 19% for IBS-D), patients study that these treatments are not among nan apical 3 treatments recommended by wellness attraction providers, which typically include:

• IBS-C:
  • Fiber (30%).
  • Non-prescription laxatives (26%).
  • Stool softeners (24%).
  • Lifestyle changes for illustration workout (24%).
• IBS-D:
  • Diet changes (26%).
  • Over-the-counter medications for upset tummy aliases diarrhea (26%).
  • Probiotics (25%).

While much than 2 successful 5 wellness attraction providers whose patients ever petition a circumstantial IBS curen (45%) opportunity they will urge aliases prescribe nan requested curen ever aliases astir of nan time, only astir 1 successful 10 (14%) opportunity patients often do so. Patients should beryllium encouraged to advocator for and petition caller aliases replacement treatments and proactively talk options pinch their wellness attraction provider.

Most patients pinch some IBS-C and IBS-D (78% each) are satisfied pinch nan treatments they presently take; however, only astir 1 successful 5 are very satisfied (25% IBS-C, 26% IBS-D). Further, compared to 2015, much physicians who dainty IBS opportunity effective alleviation of abdominal pain (49% vs. 39%) aliases diarrhea/constipation (47% vs. 33%) and nan readiness of curen options (49% vs. 34%) are what is astir lacking successful IBS curen coming contempt advancements successful nan IBS curen landscape. These findings item an opportunity for further betterment successful curen efficacy and diligent satisfaction.

"IBS is simply a information that continues to situation patients to find a curen that consistently useful for them," said Jeffrey Roberts, laminitis of nan IBS Patient Support Group organization and laminitis of World IBS Day. "The AGA IBS successful America Survey sheds ray connected patients who are still not being offered a assortment of treatments that could supply them pinch a amended value of life. This continues to consequence successful disruptions to their career, schooling, and life pinch their families and friends."

AGA is committed to continued investigation and acquisition to reside nan persistent effect of IBS connected patients' lives and productivity, supporting wellness attraction providers and patients successful managing this chronic information effectively.

The AGA IBS successful America study was conducted pinch support from Salix Medical Affairs, a section of Bausch Health US, Inc.

Research Methodology

The diligent investigation was conducted online in the U.S. by The Harris Poll connected behalf of AGA betwixt Oct. 28 and Nov. 8, 2024, among 2,013 U.S. adults property 18+ who person been diagnosed by a wellness attraction supplier pinch IBS-C (1,005) aliases IBS-D (1,008) and person not been diagnosed pinch celiac disease, inflammatory bowel illness (IBD), ulcers, aliases colon, stomach, aliases different crab of nan gastrointestinal tract. The wellness attraction supplier investigation was conducted online in nan U.S. by The Harris Poll connected behalf of AGA between Nov. 15 and Dec. 9, 2024, among 600 wellness attraction providers including gastroenterologists (n=200), superior attraction physicians (PCPs, n=200), gastroenterology caregiver practitioners (NP)/physician assistants (PA) (n=100), and PCP NP/PAs (n=100) aged 18 aliases older who believe successful nan U.S., dainty big patients, spot astatine slightest six IBS patients per month, and spot IBS-C aliases IBS-D patients. 

Data for patients are weighted, wherever necessary, by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, family size, family income, employment, and smoking status to bring them successful statement pinch their existent proportions successful nan population. Data for physicians are weighted separately, arsenic necessary, by gender and property for each specialty to align pinch their existent proportions successful nan population. Data for precocious believe providers (APPs) were not weighted and are truthful only typical of nan individuals who completed nan survey. Respondents for this study were selected from among those who person agreed to participate successful The Harris Poll surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by utilizing a Bayesian reliable interval. For this study, nan sample information for patients is meticulous to wrong ± 2.9 percent points. The information for each expert specialty is meticulous to wrong ± 7.2 percent points, utilizing a 95% assurance level. This reliable interval will beryllium wider among subsets of nan surveyed organization of interest. 

All sample surveys and polls, whether aliases not they usage probability sampling, are taxable to different aggregate sources of correction which are astir often not imaginable to quantify aliases estimate, including, but not constricted to, sum error, correction associated pinch nonresponse, correction associated pinch mobility wording and consequence options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.