Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Like Symptoms in Ulcerative Colitis Patients in Clinical Remission: Association with Residual Colonic Inflammation

Ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in clinical remission often experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms. The prevalence rate of UC patients meeting the definition of IBS, such as shown by the Rome criteria, is significantly higher in those without ongoing clinical activity as compared to healthy controls. Several studies have investigated residual low-grade inflammation found in colonic mucosa of quiescent UC patients and its association with development of IBS-like symptoms. In these patients, residual colonic inflammation was evaluated using endoscopy and histology findings, as well as fecal calprotectin level and shown to not be simply associated with the presence of IBS-like symptoms in UC patients in clinical remission. However, these results are limited by the low number of related investigations conducted. Additional appropriately designed studies are necessary to confirm the relationship of low-grade colonic inflammation with IBS-like symptoms associated with UC.