A brand new AGA survey discovered that regardless of social media serving to to extend consciousness of irritable bowel syndrome among the many public IBS signs proceed to considerably affect sufferers’ every day lives and productiveness. Credit score: The Harris Ballot
Regardless of social media serving to to extend consciousness of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among the many public (81% of well being care suppliers agree) and developments in remedy over the previous decade, IBS signs proceed to considerably affect sufferers’ every day lives and productiveness, in keeping with a brand new survey launched by the American Gastroenterological Affiliation (AGA), in partnership with The Harris Ballot, a Stagwell (STGW) company.
The AGA IBS in America survey reveals compelling new insights that discover shifts in affected person experiences, well being care supplier perceptions, and the remedy panorama for IBS from an analogous research carried out in 2015. The 2024 complete research, which included 2,013 sufferers with IBS and 600 well being care suppliers, sheds mild on persistent challenges confronted by sufferers with IBS.
Burden of illness
Survey findings point out that IBS signs intrude with sufferers’ productiveness at work/faculty for practically 11 days per 30 days on common, along with signs disrupting private actions eight days per 30 days on common, highlighting the substantial burden of the situation.
Sufferers with IBS are lacking extra work/faculty days per 30 days resulting from their gastrointestinal signs than they have been 10 years in the past (3.6 days in 2024, 2.1 days in 2015), and extra report spending much less time with household and associates due to their signs (58%, up from 48% in 2015).
The research additionally revealed that whereas fewer sufferers in 2024 report their signs are very or extraordinarily bothersome (43%, in comparison with 62% in 2015), 76% nonetheless discover it considerably or very troublesome to handle their signs. The power to precisely predict signs stays elusive, with lower than one in three sufferers (31% in 2024, according to 29% in 2015) reporting that they will very or extraordinarily precisely predict whether or not they are going to expertise signs immediately.
All of this impacts sufferers’ willingness or skill to make plans and finally impacts how sufferers really feel about themselves.
77% report that they keep away from conditions the place lavatory entry is proscribed.
72% say it’s troublesome to plan issues as a result of they by no means know when their signs will act up.
72% really feel their signs trigger them to remain dwelling extra usually.
Seven in 10 sufferers do not feel like themselves due to their signs (72%), say their signs make them really feel like they don’t seem to be “normal” (69%), or really feel their signs forestall them from reaching their full potential/being profitable (69%).
“The findings of this survey underscore the persistent challenges and impact IBS has on patients’ lives,” mentioned Andrea Shin, MD, MSCR, AGA Affected person Schooling Advisor and UCLA Well being.
“Despite progress in the medical community’s approach to diagnosing and managing IBS, patients continue to suffer significant disruptions to their personal and professional lives.”
Remedy regimens
Regardless of remedy choices evolving over the past 10 years to now embrace all kinds of over-the-counter and prescription drugs, together with U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved brokers to deal with IBS, the survey findings spotlight that sufferers and well being care suppliers rely predominantly on over-the-counter remedy choices and way of life changes moderately than prescription drugs.
Whereas prescription drugs are among the many most useful remedies, in keeping with sufferers with IBS who’ve tried them (18% for IBS-C, 19% for IBS-D), sufferers report that these remedies should not among the many high three remedies beneficial by well being care suppliers, which generally embrace:
IBS-C:
Fiber (30%).
Non-prescription laxatives (26%).
Stool softeners (24%).
Way of life modifications like train (24%).
IBS-D:
Food regimen modifications (26%).
Over-the-counter drugs for upset abdomen or diarrhea (26%).
Probiotics (25%).
Whereas greater than two in 5 well being care suppliers whose sufferers ever request a selected IBS remedy (45%) say they are going to advocate or prescribe the requested remedy all the time or more often than not, solely round one in 10 (14%) say sufferers usually achieve this. Sufferers must be inspired to advocate for and request new or various remedies and proactively focus on choices with their well being care supplier.
Most sufferers with each IBS-C and IBS-D (78% every) are glad with the remedies they at present take; nevertheless, solely about one in 5 are very glad (25% IBS-C, 26% IBS-D).
Additional, in comparison with 2015, extra physicians who deal with IBS say efficient reduction of belly ache (49% vs. 39%) or diarrhea/constipation (47% vs. 33%) and the supply of remedy choices (49% vs. 34%) are what’s most missing in IBS remedy immediately regardless of developments within the IBS remedy panorama. These findings spotlight a possibility for additional enchancment in remedy efficacy and affected person satisfaction.
“IBS is a condition that continues to challenge patients to find a treatment that consistently works for them,” mentioned Jeffrey Roberts, founding father of the IBS Affected person Help Group group and founding father of World IBS Day.
“The AGA IBS in America Survey sheds light on patients who are still not being offered a variety of treatments that could provide them with a better quality of life. This continues to result in disruptions to their career, schooling, and life with their families and friends.”
AGA is dedicated to continued analysis and training to handle the persistent affect of IBS on sufferers’ lives and productiveness, supporting well being care suppliers and sufferers in managing this persistent situation successfully.
Offered by
American Gastroenterological Affiliation
Quotation:
Ballot: Regardless of advances, IBS stays a burden for a lot of hundreds of thousands (2025, August 7)
retrieved 7 August 2025
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