Salmonella as a child a risk for IBS as an adult: Study
Researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy say that if you had salmonellosis as a child, you are at greater risk to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) into adulthood, according to a study published recently in the journal, Gastroenterology.
They write that children are particularly vulnerable to gastroenteritis due to the immaturity of their intestinal barrier, enteric nervous system, and immune response to pathogens. Researchers tried to determine a link between the salmonellosis in childhood and the risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD) later in life.
In 1994, they looked at a confirmed foodborne Salmonella enteritidis outbreak that affected more than 1,800, mostly pediatric patients in Bologna.
Clinical data were collected and a prospective, controlled, cohort study was designed. Long-term effects were assessed by mailing a questionnaire to 757 subjects, 16 years after the outbreak (when all of children were adults). A cohort of 250 adults exposed to Salmonella as children was randomly selected, all 127 individuals exposed as adults, and a cohort of non-exposed participants matched for number, age, sex, and area of residence (controls).
What they found was 32 percent of the exposed participants reported functional dyspepsia, compared to 27 percent of the controls.
In addition, 37 percent of exposed participants reported having IBS, compared to 23 percent of the controls.
The Italian researchers conclude that the data from the study shows Salmonella-induced gastroenteritis during childhood (but not adulthood) is a risk factor for IBS.
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[…] Salmonella as a child a risk for IBS as an adult: Study Researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy say that if you had salmonellosis as a child, you are at greater risk to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) into adulthood, according to a study published recently in the journal, Gastroenterology. Read more on The Global Dispatch […]