Visceral hypersensitivity in functional bowel disorders
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study to investigate the association between visceral hypersensitivity and bowel frequency in patients with functional bowel disorders
IRAS ID
260447
Contact name
Lesley Houghton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Functional bowel disorders are common gastrointestinal (digestive) conditions and include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional constipation (FC), and functional diarrhoea (FDr). In all of these conditions, patients experience a change in their bowel frequency and form, with either looser and more frequent stools (diarrhoea), or harder and less frequent stools (constipation). Patients with IBS may report that one of these patterns predominates, or else they may describe alternating between diarrhoea and constipation. Bowel symptoms are accompanied by the presence of abdominal pain in IBS, but this is not the case for FC and FDr.\n\nVisceral sensitivity, which refers to how the bowel responds to stimulation such as distention, has long been recognised as part of the cause of functional bowel disorders. Traditionally, it has been thought that the presence of visceral hypersensitivity correlates with the presence of abdominal pain, but this is not universally the case. In addition, data on how visceral sensitivity may correlate with bowel habit is limited and results are conflicting. This study aims to improve our understanding of the relationship between bowel frequency and visceral sensitivity in functional bowel disorders, thus improving our understanding of the pathophysiology of these disorders. \n\nPatients with diarrhoea and constipation will be recruited, and will complete a stool diary to accurately characterise their bowel habit. If this confirms the clinical impression that the patient experiences predominantly diarrhoea or predominantly constipation, then the patient will proceed to have a rectal barostat test. Following a tap water enema, a lubricated barostat catheter will be inserted into the lower bowel via the anus. The catheter balloon will be inflated to different pressures, using a standardised protocol, and the patient’s sensations of gas, urgency, and pain will be recorded. The presence of visceral hypersensitivity will be determined with reference to pre-defined thresholds. The results will be compared between patients with diarrhoea and patients with constipation to assess how bowel habit may relate to visceral sensitivity.\n
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
19/NS/0155
Date of REC Opinion
1 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion