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Post-COVID irritable bowel syndrome in Mexican patients in a tertiary hospital in Puebla, Mexico
Post-COVID irritable bowel syndrome in Mexican patients in a tertiary hospital in Puebla, Mexico
Arturo García-Galicia 1 
, Luis Hernández-Tecorralco 2 , Brenda A. Olguin-Rincon 3 , Víctor H. García-y-García 4 , Álvaro J. Montiel-Jarquín 5 , Jorge Loría-Castellanos 6
1 Dirección de Educación e Investigación en Salud, Hospital de Especialidades de Puebla, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) Puebla, México; 2 Servicio de Medicina Interna, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad Hospital de Especialidades de Puebla, Centro Médico Nacional Gral. de Div. Manuel Ávila Camacho, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Puebla de Zaragoza, Pue., México; 3 Dirección de Educación e Investigación en Salud, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad Hospital de Especialidades de Puebla, Centro Médico Nacional Gral. de Div. Manuel Ávila Camacho, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Puebla de Zaragoza, Pue., México; 4 Servicio de Gastroenterología. Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad Hospital de Especialidades de Puebla, Centro Médico Nacional Gral. de Div. Manuel Ávila Camacho, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Puebla de Zaragoza, Pue., México; 5 Dirección de Educación e Investigación enSalud, Hospital de Especialidades de Puebla, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Puebla, Puebla, México; 6 Red Nacional de Educadores en Simulación Clínica, Ciudad de México. México
*Correspondence: Arturo García-Galicia. Email: neurogarciagalicia@yahoo.com.mx
Abstract
Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder, characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, discomfort, and altered bowel habits without identifiable organic pathology. Post–COVID-19 IBS has recently emerged as a notable sequela. Objective: To determine the incidence of post–COVID-19 IBS in patients treated at a tertiary hospital in Puebla, Mexico. Material and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between 2021 and 2022, excluding those with preexisting IBS or other digestive diseases. Variables included demographic characteristics, comorbidities, COVID-19 severity, IBS type (sintomatology and classification), pharmacological treatment, and quality of life. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were applied, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Of 175 patients, 22 (12.6%) developed post–COVID-19 IBS. Fourteen (63.6%) were women, with a mean age of 50 years (SD 18.7). Most had upper secondary education (45.5%) and informal employment (50%). IBS with constipation was most common (59.1%), followed by mixed IBS (40.9%). No statistically significant associations were identified. Conclusions: The prevalence of post–COVID-19 IBS was 12.6%, ratio male:female was 1.7:1. IBS with constipation was the leading subtype, and most patients reported good quality of life (72.3%), suggesting favorable adaptation despite persistent gastrointestinal dysfunction.
Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome. Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Gastrointestinal diseases.
