Validation study of the Rome IV criteria for the diagnosis of IBS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study to validate the Rome IV criteria for diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome among patients referred to secondary care
IRAS ID
233957
Contact name
Alexander Ford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract. Although several possible causes for IBS have been proposed, its precise cause remains unclear. It is an example of a functional bowel disorder.
Doctors are encouraged to make a diagnosis of IBS based on a group of symptoms, such as abdominal pain and a change in bowel habit, which are reported by the patient. This is called making a positive diagnosis of IBS. The group of symptoms used most widely by doctors to diagnose IBS are called the Rome criteria. The most updated version of these criteria is called Rome IV. However, the Rome IV criteria have not been tested to see how well they correctly predict a diagnosis of IBS.
Although doctors are encouraged to make a positive diagnosis of IBS, and avoid over-investigation, this can be challenging. This is mainly because patients who may have other gastrointestinal diseases can present with the same symptoms as IBS. There symptoms might therefore be mistaken for IBS, resulting in a delay in discovering their true cause.
The aim of this research project is to increase our understanding of how accurate the Rome IV criteria are for diagnosing IBS. We also want to investigate how many people with symptoms attributed to IBS or compatible with IBS when referred to gastroenterology clinics or endoscopy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust actually turn out to have an alternative underlying diagnosis.
We will use a questionnaire to collect information from people attending gastroenterology clinics and endoscopy lists, and seek their permission to access their medical records in order to ascertain whether a cause for their symptoms, other than IBS, was subsequently discovered.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/YH/0378
Date of REC Opinion
22 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion