April 9, 2010 – The risk of suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is higher in people who have rotating work schedules – day and night – according to a US study1.
The study was conducted among 399 nurses, of whom 214 worked days, 110 nights, and 75 on a day and night shift. The participants told researchers about their abdominal symptoms and the quality of their sleep.
According to the results, 48% of nurses who worked rotating shifts were more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome compared to 31% of nurses who worked day shifts. However, this difference was insignificant with nurses assigned to night work.
In addition, 81% of participants on day and night rotations had abdominal pain, while this rate was 54% for day nurses, and 61% for night nurses.
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A frequent disorder |
The association between the prevalence of IBS and rotating shifts was unrelated to the sleep quality of the study subjects, the researchers say. Poor quality of sleep therefore does not explain the presence of the syndrome and abdominal pain associated with work shifts.
Study authors need more exploration of circadian rhythm dysfunction2 to find out if there is a link with the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a functioning disorder of the large intestine that causes abdominal pain and is accompanied by diarrhea, constipation, or both. According to the Association of Functional Gastrointestinal Diseases, it is the 2e because of absenteeism from work and school.
Carole Boulé – PasspeortSanté.net
1. Nojkov B, Rubenstein JH, et al. The Impact of Rotating Shift Work on the Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Nurses, Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Apr; 105 (4): 842-7.
2. The term “circadian rhythm” describes biological events that occur periodically every 24 hours; the periodic alternation of the sleep / wake cycle, for example.
