Introduction. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic inflammatory conditions that primarily affect the gastrointestinal tract. While both genders can be affected by IBD, there are some potential gender differences in the quality of life.
The objective of the study was to explore gender differences in the clinical manifestations and quality of life of patients with IBD.
Materials and methods. A cross-sectional analysis reporting gender-specific differences in a group of 142 patients (67 males and 75 females) with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD was conducted. Data on IBD patients (age, gender, disease activity, risk factors, major clinical symptoms and drug treatment) were gathered and analyzed.
Results. The average age difference between men and women was not statistically significant (p = 0.120). The disease progressed similarly in each gender group (53.7% of men and 54.7% of women, p=0.692, were in the active phase of the disease). Considerable differences were registered between women and men regarding weight loss (significantly more frequent in women, p=0.033) and fatigue (significantly more present in men, p=0.048). The mean overall Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ) score did not significantly differ between male and female patients (44.95±3.30 vs 45.75±3.22, p=143). Females reported significantly higher scores than males on the SIBD Q domains reflecting emotional function (13.94 vs 13.38, p=0.031) and bowel symptoms (13.84 vs 13.02, p=0.006). All patients revealed moderately to severely diminished quality of life (total score<60). 70 of them, 49.3%, reported severe impairment, with a total score <45 (34/50.7% males vs 36/48% females, p=0.745).
Conclusions. The findings of this study suggest that male IBD patients are more likely to experience varying degrees of gastrointestinal symptoms and female patients with IBD have a higher quality of life than male patients.
Full text sources https://doi.org/10.31688/ABMU.2023.58.3.04
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Address for correspondence:
Delia M. TIT
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of
Oradea
Address: 29, N. Jiga Str., 410028, Oradea, Romania
Email: mirela_tit@yahoo.com
