Shiha, Mohamed G, Aziz, Imran · Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2021 · DOI
This review examines how irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) commonly occurs alongside other physical and mental health conditions, particularly chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, anxiety, and depression. Patients with IBS often experience symptoms beyond the digestive system that significantly impact their quality of life and healthcare costs. The authors discuss why these conditions cluster together and suggest better ways to manage patients who have multiple conditions at once.
ME/CFS patients frequently experience IBS and other comorbidities, and understanding the shared biological mechanisms may illuminate why these conditions cluster together. This review highlights that recognizing and appropriately managing multiple concurrent conditions—rather than treating each in isolation—is critical for improving patient outcomes and reducing unnecessary medical burden.
This review does not establish causal relationships between IBS and comorbid conditions, nor does it definitively prove that shared mechanisms are responsible for their co-occurrence. As a narrative review rather than a systematic analysis of primary data, it does not provide quantitative evidence of prevalence rates or treatment efficacy.
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Primary citation
Shiha, Mohamed G & Aziz, Imran (2021). Review article: Physical and psychological comorbidities associated with irritable bowel syndrome.. Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16589
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-shiha-2021-review-article,
author = {Shiha, Mohamed G and Aziz, Imran},
title = {Review article: Physical and psychological comorbidities associated with irritable bowel syndrome.},
journal = {Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1111/apt.16589},
note = {PubMed: 34927759},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/shiha-2021-review-article},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/shiha-2021-review-article
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