Anxiety Increases the Risk for Infectious Gastroenteritis and Postinfectious IBS

Infectious gastroenteritis (IGE) is followed by persistent functional gut syndromes including postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) in up to 30% of patients. Psychological morbidity increases susceptibility to PI-IBS, and psychological stress is known to affect the balance between T-helper 1 and T-helper 2 cells.

In two small towns in Belgium, 18,620 people were exposed to drinking water that was contaminated by stream water containing norovirus, Giardia lamblia, and Campylobacter jejuni. Among 968 eligible participants who completed questionnaires in a prospective investigation, 28% developed IGE. Risk factors for IGE included younger age, dyspepsia prior to exposure, and psychological comorbidities including anxiety and somatiza…