Metabolic syndrome, depression, and fibromyalgia syndrome prevalence in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A case-control study

Although both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have been linked with altered gut microbiota, only a few studies investigated the association between them. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MetS along with depression and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in IBS patients. This was a case-control study in which 3808 consecutive patients who attended outpatient clinics of Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital between May 2019 and August 2019 were evaluated in terms of IBS with Rome-IV criteria. Out of 486 patients who were diagnosed as IBS, 176 patients were excluded for various reasons. Control subjects were randomly selected from IBS-negative subjects. MetS was diagnosed based on International Diabetes Federation criteria. Depression, anxiety disorder, and FMS were assessed via Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and American College of Rheumatology criteria, respectively. Blood samples were obtained to measure biochemical parameters. Study group included 310 IBS patients, and control group included 304 subjects. The prevalence of the MetS was significantly higher among IBS patients compared with controls (36.8% vs 21.7%, respectively, P = .006). The rate of obesity was 18.1% among IBS subjects, and 10.2% in the controls. The prevalence of fibromyalgia (30% vs 3%, respectively, P < .001), anxiety-disorder (39.7% vs 10.2%, P < .001) and depression (8.1% vs 4.9%, P < .001) were significantly higher in IBS group than controls. Metabolic syndrome and obesity were significantly more frequent in IBS patients compared with controls. FMS, anxiety disorder, and depression were also more common among IBS patients.