Results revealed today from the IBS IN CANADA SURVEY — facilitated by the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Self Help Group for its members — show that more than 85 per cent of IBS sufferers report that their symptoms are extremely or very bothersome, having a negative impact on work, travelling and socializing.

When asked about their quality of life, 45 per cent of those polled indicated that their IBS has had a severe impact on their overall quality of life. Previous studies have shown that quality of life for people with IBS is comparable to people with clinical depression, and is worse than in people with type 2 diabetes or those who have had heart attacks.1,2

“People with IBS face the challenge of their disease each and every day,” says Jeffrey Roberts, President and Founder of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Self Help Group and an IBS sufferer for more than 25 years. “The IBS IN CANADA SURVEY showed that 46 per cent of respondents reported daily episodes of IBS symptoms, while 27 per cent reported episodes of two-to-three times a week. Furthermore, more than 36 per cent of those polled considered their IBS symptoms to be severe in terms of the degree of pain and discomfort they suffer. A new treatment for IBS-C, such as Zelnorm, that helps Canadian women address the multiple, and debilitating, symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating and constipation, is a welcome advance. If I could count on a treatment which would allow me to live a normal life, I would be ecstatic.”

IBS also strongly impacts personal relationships and working practices. The IBS IN CANADA SURVEY showed that eighty-five per cent of respondents described their IBS symptoms as having a serious or moderate impact in terms of interfering with daily life, such as work or activities with friends or family. Missing work or school due to IBS symptoms was reported by almost four- in-ten survey respondents. In the past three months, the average number of days missed at work or school due to IBS was six days, while those polled also missed an average of 9.3 days of personal leisure activities due to their symptoms. Twelve per cent of respondents indicated that they have been or are currently on disability as a result of their IBS.

Ms. Suzanne Glazer was diagnosed with IBS-C in 1999. “The symptoms ranged from inconvenient to incapacitation. It came to a point where I was literally afraid to leave my house because of the excruciating stomach pain and the anxiety around it worsening when out in public. It was so difficult to cope with that many times I would just avoid going out at all,” she says. “Now with Zelnorm, I don’t have the severe pain, constipation and bloating that I used to suffer from on a near daily basis. My life has now returned to being normal.”

According to Dr. Lawrence Cohen, a consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology at Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, IBS is a debilitating disorder and the second cause of workplace absenteeism behind the common cold. It has been estimated that IBS costs the Canadian healthcare system approximately $800 million annually. “IBS sufferers visit the doctor more frequently. In Canada, IBS is the leading cause of referrals to gastroenterology clinics — accounting for approximately half of all visits to gastroenterologists,” says Dr. Cohen.