The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) among community subjects with positive stool studies.This was a prospective cohort study whereby all individuals with stool-positive acute enteric infection(AEI) were recruited from 3 health regions in Ontario,Canada.Each person completed questionnaires regarding preinfectious bowel habit and their bowel habit 3 months postinfection.Manning and Rome I criteria were used to diagnose irritable bowel syndrome.Two hundred thirty-one patients participated.Forty had preexisting IBS and were excluded.Of the remaining 191 patients,7 developed irritable bowel syndrome,for an incidence of 3.7%(95% confidence interval:1.0-6.3%) .Fever during AEI was the only identifiable risk factor for developing postinfectious IBS(odds ratio,11.96;P =.02) .The incidence of postinfectious IBS in community subjects is 3.7%.Fever during the AEI may be an important risk factor for this condition.
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