Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of Study 1 subjects
| Description | Controls (n = 25) | IBS (n = 41) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years ± SEM) | 33.0 ± 2.1 | 39.9 ± 1.5 | = 0.01 | |
| BMI (±SEM) | 26.3 ± 1.3 | 27.2 ± 1.0 | ns | |
| Bowel habits [n (%)] | IBS-A | – | 17 (41) | |
| IBS-C | – | 9 (22) | ||
| IBS-D | – | 15 (37) | ||
| Symptom severity | IBS symptom severity (0–20 cm) | – | 10.5 ± 0.8 | |
| Abdominal pain | Chronic abdominal pain (unpleasantness) | – | 12.5 ± 0.4 | |
| Chronic abdominal pain (intensity) | – | 13.1 ± 0.4 | ||
| Current abdominal pain (unpleasantness) | – | 8.2 ± 0.7 | ||
| Current abdominal pain (intensity) | – | 9.6 ± 0.8 | ||
| Gynaecological history [n (%)] | ||||
| Premenopausal phase | Follicular | 8 (32) | 15 (37) | ns |
| Luteal | 12 (48) | 11 (27) | ||
| Menses | 1 (4) | 4 (10) | ||
| Provera | 1 (4) | 1 (2) | ||
| Postmenopausal | 3 (12) | 9 (22) | ns | |
| OCP | 5 (20) | 8 (20) | ns | |
| HRT | 1 (4) | 1 (2) | ns | |
| Hysterectomy | 1 (4) | 3 (7) | ns | |
| Chronic stress indicators [n (%)] | Childhood abuse | 4 (16) | 8 (20) | ns |
| Adult abuse | 1 (4) | 10 (25) | 0.029 | |
| Early adverse event | 1 (4) | 6 (15) | ns | |
| HAD scores | Anxiety | 3.8 ± 0.625 | 6.1 ± 0.4 | 0.002 |
| Depression | 2.0 ± 0.6 | 4.2 ± 0.4 | 0.003 |
BMI, body mass index; OCP, oral contraceptive agent; HRT, hormone replacement therapy. Chronic pain symptoms were rated over previous 3 months. Current pain was rated over previous 24 h. For premenopausal women not taking OCP, the menstrual cycle phase was determined by the count forward/backward method: menses, first 3 days of menses; follicular, days 4–14; luteal, day 14 onward and before menses.