Background: The association and interaction between SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been adequately explored. We sought to determine whether a mechanistic relationship exists and whether vaccination against COVID-19 plays a role in this relationship. Methods: Using the Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic healthcare database, we obtained a random sample of veterans in October 2022 for this cross-sectional study. Demographic characteristics of the participants (e.g., age, sex, race), prior COVID infection, COVID vaccination status, and IBS diagnosis were extracted from the VA medical records. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine potential associations between the listed factors and IBS diagnosis. Results: A total of 9,112 veterans were analyzed. In univariate analysis, race, COVID infection, and vaccination were significantly associated with IBS. In multivariate regression analysis, only the effects of COVID infection and vaccination were statistically significant. The odds ratios for development of IBS among veterans with COVID infection versus those without was 1.94 (95% CI: 1.53-2.45), and for vaccinated versus unvaccinated, was 1.49 (95% CI: 1.18-1.89). Further analysis showed that vaccinated veterans who did not contract COVID infection had a lower risk of developing IBS compared to unvaccinated veterans who contracted COVID. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that veterans with COVID infection are almost twice as likely to develop IBS compared to those who have never had COVID infection. Vaccinated veterans have a lower risk of contracting COVID and subsequently, a diminished chance of developing IBS. Overall, vaccination of veterans with protection against COVID diminishes the risk of IBS development.
| Published in | International Journal of Gastroenterology (Volume 8, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14 |
| Page(s) | 76-84 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Coronavirus Infection, COVID, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS, Vaccination
| [1] | World Health Organization. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Available at: |
| [2] | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID Data Tracker. Available at: |
| [3] | NIH Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly One in Five American Adults Who Have Had COVID-19 Still Have Long COVID. |
| [4] | Davis HE, McCorkell L, Vogel JM, et al. Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations. Nat Rev Microbiol 2023; 21: 133-146. |
| [5] | Lopez-Leon S, Wegman-Ostrosky T, Perelman C, et al. More Than 50 Long-Term Effects of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sci Rep. 2021; 11: 16144. |
| [6] | Xu E, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z. Long-term gastrointestinal outcomes of COVID-19. Nat Commun. 2023; 14: 983 |
| [7] | Cheung KS, HungIFN, ChanPPY, etal. Gastrointestinal samples from a Hong Kong cohort: systematic review and meta-analysis. Gastroenterology. 2020; 159(1): 81-95. |
| [8] | Groff A, Kavanaugh M, Ramgobin D, McClafferty B, Aggarwal CS, Golamari R, Jain R. Gastrointestinal Manifestations of COVID-19: A Review of What We Know. Ochsner J. 2021; 212: 177-180. |
| [9] | Mao R, Qiu Y, He JS, et al. Manifestations and prognosis of gastrointestinal and liver involvement in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020; 5(7): 667-678. |
| [10] | PanL, MuM, YangP, etal. ClinicalcharacteristicsofCOVID-19 patients with digestive symptoms in Hubei, China: a descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2020; 115(5): 766-773. |
| [11] | LiangW, Feng Z, Rao S, etal. Diarrhoeamaybe underestimated: a missing link in 2019 novel coronavirus. Gut. 2020; 69(6): 1141-1143. |
| [12] | Zhang C, Shi L, Wang FS. LiverinjuryinCOVID-19: management and challenges. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020; 5(5): 428-430. |
| [13] | FanZ, ChenL, LiJ, etal. ClinicalfeaturesofCOVID-19-related liver functional abnormality. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020; 18(7): 1561-1566. |
| [14] | Tian Y, Rong L, Nian W, et al. Review article: gastrointestinal features in COVID-19 and the possibility of faecal transmission. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2020; 51(9): 843-851. |
| [15] | Cannatelli R, et al., Risk of adverse events and reported clinical relapse after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with IBD. Gut 2022; 71: 1926–1928. |
| [16] | Houston KD, Hartnett J, Rose SJ. Investigating the association between the COVID-19 vaccination and incident gastrointestinal symptomology: A comprehensive dataset. Data Brief. 2023 Jun; 48: 109287. |
| [17] | Vedantam S, Graff E, Khakoo NS, et al. Food as Medicine: How to Influence the Microbiome and Improve Symptoms in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 2023; 25: 52-60. |
| [18] | Bernard-Raichon L, Venzon M, Klein J, et al. Gut microbiome dysbiosis in antibiotic-treated COVID-19 patients is associated with microbial translocation and bacteremia. Nat Commun 2022; 13: 5926. |
| [19] | Zhou Q, Verne GN. Disruption of the Mucosal Serotonin Reuptake Transporter (SERT) Through Gut Dysbiosis. Gastroenterology. 2022; 162: 1833-1834. |
| [20] | Zhou Q, Souba WW, Croce C, Verne GN. MicroRNA-29a regulates intestinal membrane permeability in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gut 2010; 59: 775-84. |
| [21] | Videlock EJ, Chang L. Latest Insights on the Pathogenesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterol Clin North Am 2021; 50: 505-522. |
| [22] | Zhou Q, Verne GN. Intestinal Permeability: A Gateway for Multi-Organ Failure? JCI 2018; 128: 4764-4766. |
| [23] | Lazaridis N, Germanidis G. Current insights into the innate immune system dysfunction in irritable bowel syndrome. Ann Gastroenterol 2018; 31: 171-187. |
| [24] | Verne GN, Amann ST, Cosgrove C, Cerda JJ. Chronic diarrhea associated with thymoma and hypogammaglobulinemia (Good's syndrome). South Med J. 199790: 444-446 |
| [25] | Zhou Q, Price DD, Callam CS, Woodruff MA, Verne GN. Effects of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor on temporal summation of second pain (wind-up) in irritable bowel syndrome. J Pain. 2011; 12: 297-303. |
| [26] | Yoshioka T, Ohashi M, Matsumoto K, et al. Repeated psychological stress, chronic vicarious social defeat stress, evokes irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms in mice. Front Neurosci 2022; 16: 993132. |
| [27] | Sabate JM, Deutsch D, Melchior C, et al. COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown stress consequences in people with and without Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Ethics Med Public Health 2021; 18: 100660. |
| [28] | Tuteja AK, Talley NJ, Stoddard GJ, Samore MH, Verne GN. Risk factors for upper and lower functional gastrointestinal disorders in Persian Gulf War Veterans during and post-deployment. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2019; 31: e13533 |
| [29] | Qin HY, Cheng CW, Tang XD, et al. Impact of psychological stress on irritable bowel syndrome. World J Gastroenterol 2014; 20: 14126-31. |
| [30] | Zhou Q, Verne GN. Epigenetic modulation of visceral nociception. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2022; 34: e14443. |
| [31] | D’Amico F, Rabaud C Peyrin-Biroulet L, Danese S, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in IBD: more pros than cons, Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021; 18: 211–213. |
APA Style
Parsi, A. O., Verne, G. N., Jiang, Y., Theus, S. A., Sullivan, J., et al. (2024). SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Vaccination, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Veterans: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Gastroenterology, 8(2), 76-84. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14
ACS Style
Parsi, A. O.; Verne, G. N.; Jiang, Y.; Theus, S. A.; Sullivan, J., et al. SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Vaccination, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Veterans: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Gastroenterol. 2024, 8(2), 76-84. doi: 10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14,
author = {Arash Oliver Parsi and George Nicholas Verne and Yu Jiang and Sue Ann Theus and Josh Sullivan and Qiqi Zhou},
title = {SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Vaccination, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Veterans: A Cross-Sectional Study
},
journal = {International Journal of Gastroenterology},
volume = {8},
number = {2},
pages = {76-84},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijg.20240802.14},
abstract = {Background: The association and interaction between SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been adequately explored. We sought to determine whether a mechanistic relationship exists and whether vaccination against COVID-19 plays a role in this relationship. Methods: Using the Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic healthcare database, we obtained a random sample of veterans in October 2022 for this cross-sectional study. Demographic characteristics of the participants (e.g., age, sex, race), prior COVID infection, COVID vaccination status, and IBS diagnosis were extracted from the VA medical records. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine potential associations between the listed factors and IBS diagnosis. Results: A total of 9,112 veterans were analyzed. In univariate analysis, race, COVID infection, and vaccination were significantly associated with IBS. In multivariate regression analysis, only the effects of COVID infection and vaccination were statistically significant. The odds ratios for development of IBS among veterans with COVID infection versus those without was 1.94 (95% CI: 1.53-2.45), and for vaccinated versus unvaccinated, was 1.49 (95% CI: 1.18-1.89). Further analysis showed that vaccinated veterans who did not contract COVID infection had a lower risk of developing IBS compared to unvaccinated veterans who contracted COVID. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that veterans with COVID infection are almost twice as likely to develop IBS compared to those who have never had COVID infection. Vaccinated veterans have a lower risk of contracting COVID and subsequently, a diminished chance of developing IBS. Overall, vaccination of veterans with protection against COVID diminishes the risk of IBS development.
},
year = {2024}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Vaccination, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Veterans: A Cross-Sectional Study AU - Arash Oliver Parsi AU - George Nicholas Verne AU - Yu Jiang AU - Sue Ann Theus AU - Josh Sullivan AU - Qiqi Zhou Y1 - 2024/11/29 PY - 2024 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14 DO - 10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14 T2 - International Journal of Gastroenterology JF - International Journal of Gastroenterology JO - International Journal of Gastroenterology SP - 76 EP - 84 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2640-169X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijg.20240802.14 AB - Background: The association and interaction between SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been adequately explored. We sought to determine whether a mechanistic relationship exists and whether vaccination against COVID-19 plays a role in this relationship. Methods: Using the Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic healthcare database, we obtained a random sample of veterans in October 2022 for this cross-sectional study. Demographic characteristics of the participants (e.g., age, sex, race), prior COVID infection, COVID vaccination status, and IBS diagnosis were extracted from the VA medical records. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine potential associations between the listed factors and IBS diagnosis. Results: A total of 9,112 veterans were analyzed. In univariate analysis, race, COVID infection, and vaccination were significantly associated with IBS. In multivariate regression analysis, only the effects of COVID infection and vaccination were statistically significant. The odds ratios for development of IBS among veterans with COVID infection versus those without was 1.94 (95% CI: 1.53-2.45), and for vaccinated versus unvaccinated, was 1.49 (95% CI: 1.18-1.89). Further analysis showed that vaccinated veterans who did not contract COVID infection had a lower risk of developing IBS compared to unvaccinated veterans who contracted COVID. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that veterans with COVID infection are almost twice as likely to develop IBS compared to those who have never had COVID infection. Vaccinated veterans have a lower risk of contracting COVID and subsequently, a diminished chance of developing IBS. Overall, vaccination of veterans with protection against COVID diminishes the risk of IBS development. VL - 8 IS - 2 ER -
College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis, USA;Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center, Memphis, USA
