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Poor self-rated health in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome but no increased 10-year cardiovascular risk : results from a Swedish population-based screening program

Stenman, Emelie LU ; Bolmsjö, Beata Borgström LU ; Nilholm, Clara LU ; Grundberg, Anton LU and Sundquist, Kristina LU (2026) In Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 13.
Abstract

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been linked to poor health, high stress and diminished quality of life. Previous findings about associations between IBS and cardiovascular disease are, however, contradictory. Our objective was to examine 10-year cardiovascular risk, lifestyle factors, and self-rated health in people with IBS compared to a reference group. Methods: Sweden's southernmost county (Scania) has implemented targeted health dialogues (THDs) in primary health care for all 40- and 50-year-olds. Before the THD, participants completed a questionnaire about their health and lifestyle. Cholesterol, blood glucose, BMI and waist-hip-ratio were measured. Participants were also invited to a research project. The present... (More)

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been linked to poor health, high stress and diminished quality of life. Previous findings about associations between IBS and cardiovascular disease are, however, contradictory. Our objective was to examine 10-year cardiovascular risk, lifestyle factors, and self-rated health in people with IBS compared to a reference group. Methods: Sweden's southernmost county (Scania) has implemented targeted health dialogues (THDs) in primary health care for all 40- and 50-year-olds. Before the THD, participants completed a questionnaire about their health and lifestyle. Cholesterol, blood glucose, BMI and waist-hip-ratio were measured. Participants were also invited to a research project. The present study used baseline variables from 2021 to 2024 to examine the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events according to SCORE2, four health behaviors (diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol), and self-rated health in THD-participants with and without IBS. Analyses took into account sex, level of education and place of birth. Results: The study population comprised 8 899 (56.5%) THD participants of which 592 (6.7%) had a diagnosis of IBS. Participants with IBS did not show an increased 10-year cardiovascular risk after adjusting for confounders. However, men with IBS had higher mean diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.030), and women with IBS had higher mean waist-hip-ratio compared to the reference group (p = 0.013). There were no overall differences shown in physical activity, smoking, or diet between participants with/without IBS, but women with IBS consumed less alcohol (p = 0.026). Poor self-rated health was significantly more common in both women and men with IBS (p < 0.001). Conclusion: IBS was not associated with an increased 10-year cardiovascular risk in this population, but further research is needed, preferably subtype-specific. THDs and similar interventions may provide opportunities to identify needs for healthcare support in people with IBS suffering from poor self-rated health.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cardiovascular risk, lifestyle factors, middle-aged, SCORE2, self-rated health, targeted health dialogues
in
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
volume
13
article number
1702012
publisher
Frontiers Media S. A.
external identifiers
  • pmid:41822456
  • scopus:105032405864
ISSN
2297-055X
DOI
10.3389/fcvm.2026.1702012
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: 2026 Stenman, Bolmsjö, Nilholm, Grundberg and Sundquist.
id
0555f7d5-b17b-43f9-a935-01f0725dcb8e
date added to LUP
2026-04-27 14:54:42
date last changed
2026-04-28 09:54:46
@article{0555f7d5-b17b-43f9-a935-01f0725dcb8e,
  abstract     = {{<p>Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been linked to poor health, high stress and diminished quality of life. Previous findings about associations between IBS and cardiovascular disease are, however, contradictory. Our objective was to examine 10-year cardiovascular risk, lifestyle factors, and self-rated health in people with IBS compared to a reference group. Methods: Sweden's southernmost county (Scania) has implemented targeted health dialogues (THDs) in primary health care for all 40- and 50-year-olds. Before the THD, participants completed a questionnaire about their health and lifestyle. Cholesterol, blood glucose, BMI and waist-hip-ratio were measured. Participants were also invited to a research project. The present study used baseline variables from 2021 to 2024 to examine the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events according to SCORE2, four health behaviors (diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol), and self-rated health in THD-participants with and without IBS. Analyses took into account sex, level of education and place of birth. Results: The study population comprised 8 899 (56.5%) THD participants of which 592 (6.7%) had a diagnosis of IBS. Participants with IBS did not show an increased 10-year cardiovascular risk after adjusting for confounders. However, men with IBS had higher mean diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.030), and women with IBS had higher mean waist-hip-ratio compared to the reference group (p = 0.013). There were no overall differences shown in physical activity, smoking, or diet between participants with/without IBS, but women with IBS consumed less alcohol (p = 0.026). Poor self-rated health was significantly more common in both women and men with IBS (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: IBS was not associated with an increased 10-year cardiovascular risk in this population, but further research is needed, preferably subtype-specific. THDs and similar interventions may provide opportunities to identify needs for healthcare support in people with IBS suffering from poor self-rated health.</p>}},
  author       = {{Stenman, Emelie and Bolmsjö, Beata Borgström and Nilholm, Clara and Grundberg, Anton and Sundquist, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{2297-055X}},
  keywords     = {{cardiovascular risk; lifestyle factors; middle-aged; SCORE2; self-rated health; targeted health dialogues}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Frontiers Media S. A.}},
  series       = {{Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine}},
  title        = {{Poor self-rated health in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome but no increased 10-year cardiovascular risk : results from a Swedish population-based screening program}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2026.1702012}},
  doi          = {{10.3389/fcvm.2026.1702012}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}