Acupuncture and irritable bowel syndrome: A population-based epidemiological and clinical study

Objective: To explore the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) based on a community population of Shanghai and the treatment of IBS by acupuncture therapy. Methods: A population of 1 685 subjects aged between 18-80 years were randomly selected by clustered sampling from the inhabitants in Changqiao Community of Shanghai to receive a questionnaire, for understanding the symptomatology and prevalence of IBS according to modified Manning and Rome II criteria, and the voluntary IBS patients were treated by acupuncture therapy. Results: The community-based prevalence of IBS was 11.45 % and 5.04% respectively according to modified Manning criteria and Rome II criteria. The ratio of male and female was 0.77:1 in IBS patients and the proportion was 10.62% and 12.19% respectively. But there were no significant difference in prevalence between different age groups (P>0.05). IBS is more common in subjects aged between 45-65 years (38.86%). Regarding the 62 IBS patients treated by electroacupuncture (EA), the total effective rate in Tianshu (ST 25) group (n = 32) was 84.38%, and it was 56.67% in Daheng (SP 15) group (n = 30), which showed a significant difference. (P<0.05). Conclusion: IBS is a commonly encountered disorder in Changqiao Community of Shanghai and should be taken into consideration for human welfare, disease prevention and further epidemical investigation. Acupuncture treatment is recommended for treating IBS due to its satisfactory therapeutic effect. © Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.