Abstract

RIVAS, Adrianys et al. Prevalencia de síntomas asociados al síndrome de intestino irritable, según los criterios de Roma II, en estudiantes de medicina de la Escuela José María Vargas de la Universidad Central de Venezuela: Caracas, mayo 2005. Gen [online]. 2006, vol.60, n.4, pp.302-305. ISSN 0016-3503.

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a clinical, idiopathic, chronic and common disorder of difficult diagnosis because of the lack of definitive tests to identify this disease; the diagnosis is based on symptomatic evaluation. A correlation between the prevalence of this disorder and day to day stress has been found, therefore a high prevalence could be found in populations such as university students, especially those in the health area. Objective: This study attempts to determine the prevalence of this disorder in the population of medical students at the José María Vargas School, according to the Rome II criteria. Caracas - Venezuela. Materials And Methods: A questionnaire -type survey was applied to a sample of 198 apparently healthy, randomly selected students, of the José María Vargas School of Medicine, in the time period of April-May 2005.Results: According to the Roma II criteria the prevalence of IBS in this student population is of 21,16%, 75% of which were females. Among the male population surveyed, only 16,39% fulfilled these criteria. The mean age was 20 years. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the medical student population, where high levels of stress may act as a predisposing factor.

Keywords : Irritable bowel syndrome; prevalence; stress; medical students.

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