{
  "abstract": "Introduction Psychological symptoms are common in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and are associated with greater gastrointestinal symptom burden; however, how these factors change over time in relation to symptom severity remains unclear. We aimed to characterise the longitudinal course of psychological symptoms in individuals with Rome IV IBS and examine their association with gastrointestinal symptom severity.Methods We recruited individuals with self-reported IBS from three UK community-based organisations who completed validated questionnaires assessing gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological symptoms at baseline and 12 month follow-up. IBS symptom severity was measured using the IBS Severity Scoring System, while psychological symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-12, Visceral Sensitivity Index, and Perceived Stress Scale. Analyses were restricted to participants meeting Rome IV criteria at both time points. Stability of psychological symptoms was assessed using Cohen’s kappa. Psychological symptom burden at follow-up was compared across IBS symptom severity trajectories using χ 2 tests, with p<0.01 considered statistically significant.Results Of 811 participants meeting Rome IV criteria at baseline, 452 (55.7%) met Rome IV criteria at 12 months and provided follow-up data. All psychological symptoms demonstrated moderate stability over 12 months (κ = 0.43-0.50). Higher levels of anxiety, depression, extra-intestinal symptom reporting, gastrointestinal symptom-specific anxiety, and perceived stress were consistently observed among individuals with persistently moderate-to-severe IBS symptoms, while those with worsening IBS symptoms also showed increased psychological symptom burden over time ( figure 1).Conclusions Psychological symptoms in Rome IV IBS are moderately stable and closely associated with gastrointestinal symptom severity over time. These findings indicate that psychological distress represents a dynamic component of the IBS disease process rather than a solely static vulnerability factor, supporting the routine longitudinal assessment of psychological symptoms and the use of integrated gut–brain approaches in clinical management.Abstract O55 Figure 1Proportion of individuals with Rome IV irritable bowel syndrome with abnormal anxiety or depression scores, high extra-intestinal symptom reporting, and high gastrointestinal symptom-specific anxiety or perceived stress at 12-month follow-up, according to IBS symptom severity trajectories over 12 months",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James’s, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom",
        "Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "Mais Khasawneh"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James’s, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom",
        "Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "Vivek Goodoory"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James’s, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom",
        "Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "Alexander Ford"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James’s, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom",
        "Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom"
      ],
      "name": "Christopher Black"
    }
  ],
  "title": "O55 Natural history of psychological symptoms in individuals with Rome IV irritable bowel syndrome and association with gastrointestinal symptom severity",
  "uid": "c0786559-f7a2-5768-99f8-a3471122f64d"
}