Table 2 Prevalence of signs and symptoms in patients with IBS, functional dyspepsia or organic disease and controls, and comparisons of IBS with dyspepsia and organic disease patients using logistic regression models.

Abdominal pain >6 times last year

96

100

89

36

ns

ns

Location of pain^*:

Upper abdomen

4

94

55

50

58.01 (2), p < 0.0001

32.70 (2), p < 0.001

Lower abdomen

45

0

15

22

17.70 (2), p < 0.001

30.42 (2), p < 0.001

All abdomen

51

6

30

28

13.33 (2), p < 0.001

12.87 (2), p < 0.001

Presence of pain^*:

<1 year

34

29

55

28

ns

ns

<2 years

17

24

18

17

ns

ns

>2 years

49

47

27

56

ns

ns

Duration of pain^*:

>6 hours

40

35

39

17

ns

ns

Frequency of pain^*:

> once a week

74

77

70

22

ns

ns

Pain reflection^*:

No reflection

73

70

61

88

ns

ns

Spine

6

12

21

6

ns

ns

Hips

13

6

12

6

ns

ns

Elsewhere

8

12

6

0

ns

ns

Night pain (wakes subject)^*

26

71

61

28

9.76 (2), p < 0.01

9.48 (2), p < 0.01

Pain relieved by antacids^*

19

71

36

50

17.48 (2), p < 0.001

6.06 (2), p < 0.05

Pain affected by eating^*

30

77

46

50

13.13 (2), p < 0.01

ns

Pain appears after meal^*

21

47

36

22

7.30 (2), p < 0.05

ns

Pain alleviated by eating^*

6

24

6

33

ns

ns

Pain made worse by eating^*

19

41

21

11

ns

ns

Pain relieved by defecation^*

66

0

39

33

29.05 (2), p < 0.001

7.24 (2), p < 0.05

More stools when pain begins^*

49

6

30

17

14.82 (2), p < 0.001

ns

Looser stools when pain begins^*

53

6

33

17

13.72 (2), p < 0.05

ns

Pain worse after defecation^*

4

0

0

0

ns

ns

Change noticed in bowel habits in the last year

24

6

35

4

3.91 (1), p < 0.05

ns

>3 bowel movements/day

16

0

35

4

6.46 (1), p < 0.05

ns

<3 bowel movements/week

20

18

11

20

ns

ns

Have both constipation and diarrhoea

24

12

16

6

ns

ns

Take medication for constipation

16

6

11

6

ns

ns

Stools often hard

40

41

27

20

ns

ns

Have difficulty defecating

51

29

30

14

ns

ns

Stools often loose & watery

38

12

38

10

5.07 (1), p < 0.05

ns

Feeling of incomplete emptying

47

12

32

4

9.22 (1), p < 0.01

ns

Often feel that can't delay defecation

36

18

35

8

4.14 (1), p < 0.05

ns

Passage of mucus

27

0

24

2

7.48 (1), p < 0.01

ns

See blood on defecation:

31

6

24

14

ns

ns

29

6

22

14

ns

ns

15

6

16

2

ns

ns

Have haemorrhoids

36

12

24

16

ns

ns

Need to defecate wakes subject

9

6

22

0

ns

ns

Incontinence

4

0

3

0

ns

ns

Abdominal distension

82

88

51

28

ns

5.58 (1), p < 0.05

Have previously visited physician for one of the problems mentioned

86

94

70

12

ns

ns