Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2003 Feb;15(2):165-72.
Mearin F, Balboa A, Badía X, Baró E, Caldwell E, Cucala M, Díaz-Rubio M, Fueyo A, Ponce J, Roset M, Talley NJ.
Institute of Functional and Motor Digestive Disorders, Centro Médico Teknon, C/Vilana 12, 08022 Barcelona, Spain. fmearinm@meditex.es
BACKGROUND: Disturbed bowel habit, diarrhoea or constipation is a key manifestation of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In some patients, diarrhoea and constipation alternate, giving rise to the so-called alternating subtype.
AIMS: To assess IBS subtype breakdown (constipation (C-IBS), diarrhoea (D-IBS) or alternating (A-IBS)) according to the Rome II criteria and patients' self-assessment, the predominance in the alternating subtype (i.e. constipation, diarrhoea or neither), and the medical and personal impact, including health-related quality of life (HRQoL), of the different IBS subtypes.