Table 1.

Demographic and clinical characteristics of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients who participated in the survey

Number of participants	2727
Age, years	40 [18–85]
Sex, female/male	2430/297
Residence in Ostlandet	1269 (47%)
Residence in Vestlandet	626 (23%)
Residence in Sørlandet	168 (6%)
Residence in Midt-Norge	369 (13%)
Residence in Nord-Norge	286 (11%)
Residence abroad	9 (< 1%)
Diarrhoea	1024 (37%)
Constipation	728 (27%)
Both diarrhoea and constipation	975 (36%)
Duration of IBS, years	10 [1–30]
Abdominal pain	2299 (84%)
Bloating	2438 (89%)
Headache	1153 (42%)
Fatigue	2673 (98%)
Employed	1437(53%)
Student	255 (9%)
Unemployed	1035 (38%)

Data are n, n (%), or median [range] values