Source: Swiss Med Wkly  |  Posted 9 years ago

Rectal motor and sensory characteristics differ in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patient subtypes: diarrhoea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) and constipation-dominant IBS (IBS-C).

Dutch researchers suggest that testing rectal viscero-perception, adaptive relaxation and rectal response to a meal could help distinguish subtypes. They point out that earlier research had not determined whether the two IBS subtypes share a common pathophysiology.

Investigators from Leiden University Medical Centre evaluated motor and sensory rectal function to ascertain whether there is a common pathophysiology or it differs between IBS subtypes.

Results were compared in 15 IBS-D patients, 14 IBS-C patients and 12 healthy controls.

Compliance, tone and rectal sensitivity were evaluated both after participants fasted and post-prandially. The researchers report that rectal compliance was decreased in both IBS subtypes compared with controls, but perception of urge was increased only in IBS-D patients.

Spontaneous adaptive relaxation was decreased only in IBS-D patients. Pain perception was significantly increased in both IBS-D and IBS-C patients.

After a meal, rectal volume decreased significantly both in controls and in IBS-D patients, investigators add.