Antibiotic use during gastrointestinal infections increases the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #gastrointestinal infections
- #antibiotics
- #IBS
- Antibiotic use during gastrointestinal infections increases the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- A systematic review and meta-analysis included 31 studies with 422,350 patients (244,632 antibiotic users and 177,718 non-users).
- The pooled incidence of IBS was 26% in antibiotic users compared to 20% in non-users, with an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 1.3.
- The risk was higher when antibiotics were used specifically for gastrointestinal infections (IRR: 1.71).
- Study heterogeneity was high (I² > 90%), influenced by geographical area, IBS diagnostic criteria, and study quality.
- The findings suggest a need for further high-quality research to clarify the relationship between antibiotic use and IBS.