Table 1.
Demographics, healthcare characteristics and reason for first HCP visit.
| Ever seen a gastroenterologist |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total (N = 513)a | Yes (n = 315) | No (n = 198) | |
| Female, n (%) | 357 (70) | 220 (70) | 137 (69) |
| Mean age, years (SD) | 40.9 (11.6) | 41.7 (11.5) | 39.8 (11.6) |
| Most common comorbidities, n (%)b,c | |||
| Anxiety | 189 (37) | 109 (35) | 80 (40) |
| Depression | 137 (27) | 80 (25) | 57 (29) |
| Migraine | 133 (26) | 87 (28) | 46 (23) |
| Gastric reflux | 109 (21) | 84 (27)k | 25 (13) |
| Lactose intolerance | 69 (13) | 50 (16)k | 19 (10) |
| Diagnostic testing history, n (%)d,e | |||
| Blood tests | 403 (79) | 275 (87)k | 128 (65) |
| Stool tests | 322 (63) | 225 (71)k | 97 (49) |
| Endoscopy/colonoscopy | 304 (59) | 243 (77)k | 61 (31) |
| Food allergy tests | 205 (40) | 149 (47) | 56 (28) |
| Most common symptoms before treatment, n (%)f,g | |||
| Diarrhoea | 513 (100) | 315 (100) | 198 (100) |
| Stomach pain or discomfort | 399 (78) | 247 (78) | 152 (77) |
| Stomach cramps or spasm | 361 (70) | 223 (71) | 138 (70) |
| Bloating | 269 (52) | 175 (56) | 94 (47) |
| Urgency | 204 (40) | 122 (39) | 82 (41) |
| Mucus | 100 (19) | 71 (23)k | 29 (15) |
| Faecal incontinence | 88 (17) | 56 (18) | 32 (16) |
| Mean length of time with symptoms, years (SD)h | 9.8 (9.5) | 10.2 (9.9) | 9.1 (8.8) |
| Reason for first HCP visit, n (%)i,j | |||
| The condition was having a large impact on my quality of life | 253 (49) | 168 (53)k | 85 (43) |
| Increasing frequency of my symptoms | 245 (48) | 159 (50) | 86 (43) |
| I was worried about the length of time I’d had my symptoms for | 227 (44) | 150 (48) | 77 (39) |
| Increasing severity of my symptoms | 215 (42) | 151 (48)k | 64 (32) |
| Treatments I tried myself did not relieve the symptoms | 124 (24) | 77 (24) | 47 (24) |
| Fear of serious or life-threatening condition | 121 (24) | 86 (27)k | 35 (18) |
| I read information on the internet that made me suspect it was IBS | 113 (22) | 64 (20) | 49 (25) |
| A friend or family member advised me to go to an HCP | 111 (22) | 71 (23) | 40 (20) |
| Family history of cancer (eg bowel or stomach) | 52 (10) | 37 (12) | 15 (8) |
Australia, n = 76; Canada, n = 66; France, n = 43; Germany, n = 80; Italy, n = 85; Spain, n = 81; UK, n = 82; bBased on responses to the question: ‘Which of the following conditions, if any, have you been diagnosed with by a doctor?’; cReported in ≥10% of patients; dBased on responses to the question: ‘Which of the following tests have been carried out since you first experienced symptoms of IBS?’; eReported in ≥20% of patients; fBased on responses to the question: ‘Which, if any, of the following symptoms does your IBS include before you take any treatment, if you take any?’; gReported in ≥10% of patients in any group; hBased on responses to the question: ‘For how long have you experienced your IBS symptoms?’; iBased on responses to the question: ‘What made you decide to arrange your first appointment with a HCP about the symptoms of IBS you were experiencing?’; jReported in ≥10% of patients in any group; kp < 0.05 vs patients who had never seen a gastroenterologist.
HCP: healthcare professional; IBS: irritable bowel syndrome; SD: standard deviation.