Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Irritable bowel syndrome

Still far from a positive diagnosis

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

    We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

    Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Abstract

The diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome requires the exclusion of any associated organic disease: a positive diagnosis would avoid expensive and potentially dangerous diagnostic procedures. A scoring system has been proposed for positive diagnosis where more than 44 points excluded organic digestive disease. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of this scoring system in a different setting. Patients (1257) consecutively referred to our medical division were admitted to the study and 270 of these, complaining of abdominal symptoms, were scored on the Kruis system method. The positive predictive value (53.8% for men and 81.5% for women) and the sensitivity (46.7% and 59.5%) did not appear to be adequate. The negative predictive value (91.6% and 87.3%) and the specificity (93.5 and 95.4%) gave higher results, but two cases of neoplasia and nine cases of other organic digestive diseases were not identified or suggested. We believe that this scoring system may be useful only as a first step in a diagnostic flow chart.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kruis W, Thieme CH, Wienzierl M, Schussler, Holl J, Paulus W: A Diagnostic Score for the irritable bowel syndrome. Its value in the exclusion of organic disease. Gastroenterology 87:1–7, 1984

    Google Scholar 

  2. Manning AP, Thompson WG, Heaton KW, Morris AF: Toward a positive diagnosis of the irritable bowel. Br Med J 2:653–654, 1978

    Google Scholar 

  3. Wasson JH, Sox HC, Neff RK, et al: Clinical prediction rules. Applications and methodological standard. N Engl J Med 313:793–799, 1985

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mantel N: Why stepdown procedures in variable selection. Technometrics 12:621–625, 1970

    Google Scholar 

  5. Talley NJ, Phillips SF, Melton LJ, Mulvihill C, Wiltgen C, Zinstmeister AR: Diagnostic value of the Manning criteria in irritable bowel syndrome. Gut 31:77–81, 1990

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Department, Ospedale Valduce-Como I, Via Dante 11, 22100, Como, Italy

    Guido Frigerio, Angelo Beretta, Gilberto Orsenigo, Giorgio Tadeo, Gianni Imperiali & Giorgio Minoli

Authors
  1. Guido Frigerio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Angelo Beretta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gilberto Orsenigo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Giorgio Tadeo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Gianni Imperiali
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Giorgio Minoli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Frigerio, G., Beretta, A., Orsenigo, G. et al. Irritable bowel syndrome. Digest Dis Sci 37, 164–167 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01308166

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01308166

Key Words

Search

Navigation