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Two out of three adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) start adulthood without the disease, according to a long-term study that followed more than 2,500 individuals. The researchers also note that several factors in adolescence which increase the risk of adult IBS can be influenced.
The symptoms of IBS often include long-term abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, irregular bowel movements, and gas. Although factors at an early age are thought to play a role in the development of the disease, research within this area is limited – particularly in relation to the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
The current study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, was based on the BAMSE Swedish population study at Karolinska Institutet and followed 2,539 individuals born in the 1990s. All had been reported at the ages of 16 and 24 for possible IBS symptoms in accordance with an internationally established assessment model.
The study from the University of Gothenburg and Karolinska Institutet shows that the strongest risk factor for IBS at the age of 24 was having had the disease at 16. At the same time, the prognosis was relatively good. Two out of three 16-year-olds with IBS no longer met the criteria by the age of 24.
“Our results show that IBS in adolescence is not a static condition,” says Jessica Sjölund, a research physician in gastroenterology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. “For many, symptoms improve over time, and at the same time we can now better identify those at a greater risk of persistent problems.”
As well as IBS in adolescence, a number of additional factors that increased the risk of IBS at the age of 24 were also identified, including recurrent abdominal pain, psychological stress, poorer self-rated health, lack of sleep, and food hypersensitivities. A strong risk factor for IBS at the age of 16 to remain at the age of 24 was IBS in at least one parent.
“The link between generations suggests that both genetic factors and shared environmental and behavioral patterns play a role,” adds Ola Olén, a consultant in pediatric gastroenterology and an adjunct professor at Karolinska Institutet. “It also brings opportunities for preventive strategies aimed at families where IBS is already present.”
The researchers behind the study emphasize that the results are clinically relevant, precisely because several of the identified risk factors have the potential to be influenced. Magnus Simrén is a consultant and a professor of gastroenterology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
“Early interventions during adolescence related to sleep, mental wellbeing, and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as interventions aimed at families with clustering of IBS, could reduce the risk of long-term symptoms later in life,” he explains.
Press contact: Margareta G. Kubista, tel. +46 705 30 19 80, email press@sahlgrenska.gu.se
Expert contacts:
Jessica Sjölund, first author, affiliated to research in gastroenterology at the University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy and Resident Physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, tel. +46 707 75 90 19, email jessica.sjolund@gu.se
Magnus Simrén, joint last author, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy and Senior Physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, tel. +46 768 97 91 65, email magnus.simren@medicine.gu.se
Ola Olén, joint last author, Adjunct Professor of Gastroenterology at Karolinska Institutet and Senior Physician at Södersjukhuset, email ola.olen@ki.se
Adolescent Risk Factors for the Presence and Persistence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Young Adulthood – Findings From a Prospective Birth Cohort, https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2026.01.010
https://www.gu.se/en/news/ibs-in-adolescence-is-usually-resolved-and-can-be-infl...
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