60; 95% CI 2.55–12.29) with insignificant differences when comparing pre-travel diarrhea and TD. Experiencing multiple diarrheal attacks raised the IBS risk sixfold (OR 6.01; 95% CI 2.02–17.89) when controlled for gender, age, and an adverse life event. Concordant within all the above analyses, the risk for IBS while having experienced an adverse life event within the past 12 months was about threefold increased. For the sensitivity analysis, the results of the multiple logistic regression conducted on the total study population were compared

with the results conducted on each half and the same independent risk factors were found. For a 3-month post-travel MK-2206 cost follow-up a lower overall 3-month IBS incidence rate (0.9%; 95% CI 0.5–1.3; n = 22) was detected and the corresponding overall travel-duration-related IBS incidence for any 2-week stay was 0.6% (95% CI 0.3–0.9). The majority of IBS patients were classified as mixed IBS-M (also the majority with TD on index travel, two cases of IBS-D group with TD on

index travel) (31, 81.6%), four patients (10.5%) as diarrhea-predominant IBS-D, and three (7.9%) as constipation-predominant IBS-C. Seventeen (44%) patients sought medical care, 10 of them selected a physician of their choice and the remaining 7 visited the Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic at the University Hospital. Three of these seven patients were diagnosed with IBS, one patient was diagnosed with lactose intolerance, Blastocystis hominis was found in one patient. One patient experienced prolonged TD and one did not show up. Acalabrutinib mw Two of clonidine the three patients who obtained a gastroenterologist’s diagnosis had IBS, while one was infested by Ascaris

lumbricoides. This is the first large prospective cohort study that used the Rome III criteria to evaluate IBS among travelers to resource-limited destinations on various continents. Our data are comparable to the publications which used Rome II criteria, as in these the follow-up period was limited to 6 months, as in Rome III, which uses exactly the same questions. New onset of IBS assessed 6 months post-travel has occurred overall in 1.5% of subjects while 3.0% had TD-related pIBS. Our IBS incidence rates are in the same range as the ones found in general population of 0.2% to 7% per year, but below the pIBS rates of 4% to 36%15,16 or 4% to 14% reported for TD-related pIBS.18–20 The TD attributable risk difference of 2.3% is similar to the 2.6% reported in the smaller initial Ilnickyj study.20 Our lower IBS rates among travelers may be explained by separating pre- from in-travel diarrheal episodes and by the more stringent exclusion criteria, having for instance detected 189 cases with preexisting (un)-diagnosed organic or FGID (Rome III) at recruitment. In addition, the destinations and the study populations differed, eg, we included also senior citizens and not just students.