Study Probes Links in Asthma, Food Sensitivity and Irritable Bowel Syndrome | Health News

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay)
MONDAY, Oct. 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Teens who had asthma and food hypersensitivity when they were younger are at increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers report.
For the study, the investigators examined the health of 2,770 children from birth to age 16. Kids with IBS at age 16 were more likely to have had asthma at age 12 (about 11% versus 7%).
In addition, the researchers found that 16-year-olds with IBS were more likely to have had food hypersensitivity at age 12 (41% versus 29%).
Asthma, food hypersensitivity and eczema (a condition that makes your skin red and itchy) were all associated with an increased risk of concurrent IBS at age 16, the findings showed.
“The associations found in this large study suggest there’s a shared pathophysiology between common allergy-related diseases and adolescent irritable bowel syndrome,” said study leader Jessica Sjölund,