Clinical features, anxiety and depression among patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with hypothyroidism

Abstract

Objective — to determine the peculiarities of clinical characteristics, assessment of anxiety and depression prevalence in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS‑C) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with hypothyroidism. Materials and methods. 96 patients with IBS‑C were included in the clinical prospective study and were divided into 2 groups: 65 (67.7%) patients with IBS‑C and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with hypothyroidism (study group) and 31 (32.3%) patients with IBS‑C (control group). Clinical examination findings were analyzed with help of questionnaires. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to identify anxiety disorders and depression. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 11 and Statistica 6 software packages. Results. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS‑C) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with hypothyroidism were more likely to have bloating than patients with isolated irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (p <0.05), who are more likely to have heartburn. No statistical difference was observed between the frequency of nausea, vomiting, pain or heaviness in stomach and loss of appetite in both groups (р >0.05). Anxiety was significantly more prevalent in patients with IBS‑C and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with hypothyroidism (p=0.002). No statistical difference was observed between the frequency of depression in both groups (p=0.180). Conclusions. It’s more likely that patients with IBS‑C and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis have higher frequency of bloating and higher anxiety level than patients with isolated IBS‑C, in which heartburn is predominantly observed. There was no significant difference in depression level between patients with IBS‑C and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and patients with isolated IBS‑C.