Clinical Study

Natural History of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Women and Dysmenorrhea: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study

Table 1

Criteria to identify IBS.

Manning

Pain eased after BM
Looser stools at onset of pain
More frequent BM at onset of pain
Abdominal distension
Mucus per rectum
Feeling of incomplete emptying

Rome III criteria

Recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort at least 3 days/month
in the last 3 months association with two or more of the following:
Improvement with defecation
Onset associated with a change in frequency of stool
Onset associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool

BMs, bowel movements.
Subgroups of Rome III: subjects fulfilling the Rome III criteria
were divided into 4 subgroups according to their bowel habits:
 (1) diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D), IBS-D is determined by
  predominantly loose or watery stools ≥25% of the time
  (2) constipation- predominant (IBS-C), IBS-C is determined
   by predominantly hard or lumpy stools ≥25% of the time
  (3) diarrhea and constipation (IBS-M), categories for mixed
    (mixed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-M): meeting criteria
   for IBS-D and IBS-C ≥25% of time)
  (4) no diarrhea or constipation, un-subtyped (un-subtyped
  irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-U): not meeting criteria for
   of IBS-C nor IBS-D, that is, both are <25% of the time).

Rome III: a close approximation of the Rome III criteria was used. The data were reevaluated retrospectively to conform to the Rome III criteria.