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Searches in Scopus, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scielo through March 2024 assessed eligibility, quality, pooled prevalence with random-effects models, subgroup effects, meta-regression, and publication bias.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/global-prevalence-of-irritable-bowel-syndrome-an-updated-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/416682/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/global-prevalence-of-irritable-bowel-syndrome-an-updated-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/416682.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Anna Hans","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-28",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",9,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the main goal of this updated systematic review and meta-analysis?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"To estimate the global prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome using studies that applied Rome III or Rome IV diagnostic criteria.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which studies were included or excluded in the analysis?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Included were observational studies reporting IBS prevalence using Rome III or IV criteria; excluded were studies in specific populations, conference abstracts, and gray literature.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How did prevalence estimates differ between Rome III and Rome IV criteria?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Global prevalence was 13.21% with Rome III and 17.14% with Rome IV, with Rome IV showing higher prevalence in the pooled estimates.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},416682,1790812755,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,115,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":107,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},5909892332657,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Original Article Gastroenterol Res. 2025;18(6):308-321  \nGlobal Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis  \nJhosmer Ballena-Caicedoa, Lupita Ana Maria Valladolid-Sandovala,  \nFiorella E. Zuzunaga-Montoyaa, Victor Juan Vera-Poncea, b  \nAbstract  \nBackground: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain and alterationsin bowel habits. Previous studies show variability in its prevalence according to region and diagnostic criteria used. The objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the global prevalence ofIBS, considering studies that used Rome III and IV criteria.  \nMethods: A systematic search was conducted in Scopus, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scielo through March 2024. Observational studies reporting IBS prevalence using Rome III or IV criteria were included. Studies in specific populations, conference abstracts, and gray literature were excluded. Methodological quality was assessed using Munn’s tool for prevalence studies. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models with Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation, subgroup analyses by probabilistic sampling, meta-regressions by year, and publication bias assessment through funnel plots.  \nResults: Forty-three studies (26 Rome III, 17 Rome IV) with 188,885 participants were included. The global prevalence was 13.21%(95% confidence interval (CI): 10.70-15.94%) with Rome III and 17.14%(95% CI: 12.00-22.99%) with Rome IV. When considering only studies with probabilistic sampling, prevalences adjusted to 11.19% and 13.28%, respectively. Higher prevalence was found in women (Rome III: 15.69% vs. 11.10% in men; Rome IV: 20.17% vs. 11.45%) . Meta-regression showed a trend toward increased prevalence in recent years.  \nConclusion: Rome IV showed a higher prevalence than Rome III, possibly due to a more precise definition of abdominal pain. The heterogeneity found suggests the need to standardize methodologies and conduct more studies with probabilistic sampling, especially in underrepresented regions.  \nManuscript submitted October 7, 2025, accepted December 8, 2025 Published online December 20, 2025  \naFacultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, Peru  \nbCorresponding Author: Victor Juan Vera-Ponce, Facultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, [Peru. Email: victor.vera@untrm.edu.pe](Peru. Email: victor.vera@untrm.edu.pe)  \ndoi: [https://doi.org/10.14740/gr2095](https://doi.org/10.14740/gr2095)  \nKeywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; Abdominal pain; Functional bowel disorders; Prevalence; Meta-analysis; Systematic review  \nIntroduction  \nIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has established itself as one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders worldwide, characterized by chronic or recurrent abdominal pain associated with alterations in bowel habits in the absence of structural abnormalities [1, 2] . Its complex pathophysiology involves visceral hypersensitivity factors, microbiota dysbiosis, alterations in the gut-brain axis, and psychosocial factors [3] . The diagnosis is established based on the Rome criteria (currently Rome IV), which, throughout its evolution, has allowed greater homogeneity in clinical classification and epidemiological research [4] .  \nGlobally, variable IBS prevalence rates have been reported depending on geographical region, study methodology, and, crucially, the version of diagnostic criteria used. A significant meta-analysis published by Oka et al in 2020, which included 53 studies using Rome III criteria, estimated a pooled prevalence of 9.2%(95% confidence interval (CI): 7.6-10.8%) in 395,385 participants from 38 countries [5] . In contrast, in the same work, the pooled prevalence from six studies that applied Rome IV criteria in 82,476 individuals from 34 countries de","cbCairXuJvBHhnsJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairXuJvBHhnsJ","pdf",4253737,14,"English","# Abstract\n## Background\n## Methods\n## Results\n## Conclusion\n# Introduction\n# Materials and Methods","[{\"question\":\"What is the main goal of this updated systematic review and meta-analysis?\",\"answer\":\"To estimate the global prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome using studies that applied Rome III or Rome IV diagnostic criteria.\"},{\"question\":\"Which studies were included or excluded in the analysis?\",\"answer\":\"Included were observational studies reporting IBS prevalence using Rome III or IV criteria; excluded were studies in specific populations, conference abstracts, and gray literature.\"},{\"question\":\"How did prevalence estimates differ between Rome III and Rome IV criteria?\",\"answer\":\"Global prevalence was 13.21% with Rome III and 17.14% with Rome IV, with Rome IV showing higher prevalence in the pooled estimates.\"}]","Global Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome - An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | PDF",1790606341,35]