Table 1.
General Characteristics of Study Participants
| Patients (n = 73) | Controls (n = 146) | P-values | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean [SD]), yr | 64.8 (14.0) | 61.9 (9.4) | 0.067 |
| Women (n [%]) | 43 (59) | 86 (59) | > 0.99 |
| BMI (mean [SD]), kg/m2 | 26.2 (3.7) | 25.8 (3.7) | 0.380 |
| HADS score (mean [SD]) | 10.0 (8.1)a | 6.0 (5.1) | 0.001 |
| GSRS-IBS score (mean [SD]) | 10.0 (12.8)a | 6.0 (9.0) | 0.008 |
| Post-dexamethasone cortisol (mean [SD]), nmol L−1 | 308 (169) | 309 (141) | 0.960 |
a
n = 61.
SD, standard deviation; BMI, body mass index; HADS, hospital anxiety and depression scale; GSRS-IBS, gastrointestinal symptom rating scale-irritable bowel syndrome. Significance testing was performed using Student’s t test and Pearson’s Chi-square test.