Here are five takeaways:
1. The “IBS in America” survey was commissioned by the AGA last year. It is the most comprehensive IBS survey to date, including more than 3,200 IBS sufferers and 300 physicians.
2. To illustrate the survey’s findings, the AGA created an animated infographic with statistics about patients’ physical symptoms and emotional experiences with IBS.
3. While the infographic is geared toward patients, it also provides insights for physicians looking to understand patients’ experiences with IBS.
4. One key finding notes that those experiencing IBS symptoms often speak with friends or family before a medical professional — 67 percent of those surveyed experienced symptoms for more than a year before seeing a physician.
5. The AGA’s chair, Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, says physicians need to facilitate open dialog with their patients. In an AGA news release, he explains: “It is imperative that patients explain, and physicians seek to understand, each individual’s experience so that they can recommend appropriate treatments.”
More articles on gastroenterology and endoscopy:
Study links celiac disease with season of birth: 5 insights
NIH awards $435k grant to NDSU researchers studying colon cancer: 5 key points
Gastroenterologists and physician groups ask CMS to cover virtual colonoscopy: 6 points
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