Retracted: Prevalence and risk factors of irritable bowel disease among medical students at Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional disorder in the human bowel, causing a range of conditions and reactions, including pain, abdominal discomfort, and changes in bowel movement and reflux. Therefore, we seek to explore the frequencies of IBS and investigate the risk factors associated with this disorder among medical students at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: An online, anonymous, cross-sectional, self-rating survey was conducted. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to investigate IBS’s essential risk factors among medical college students since the outcome variable is dichotomous, i.e., whether students have IBS or not. Results: The prevalence of IBS among medical students was 35%. Multiple logistic regression analysis with backward procedure selection indicates that three significant risk factors are significantly associated with IBS, i.e., students with stress/anxiety/depression, pain/discomfort for 6 months or longer, and medical college as first ambition were more likely to develop IBS. The odds of having IBS was approximately four times higher among students with discomfort (x2 = 18.27, p < 0.001, Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.71) than those without. The odds of having IBS was almost three times higher among students who have stress or depression than those who do not (x2 = 8.19, p < 0.004, OR = 2.89). Lastly, the odds of having IBS were more than 2.5 times higher among students who have medical college as their first ambition than those who do not ( x2=5.32, p < 0.021, OR = 2.64). Conclusion: A relatively high prevalence among medical students was indicated in this study. Depression, discomfort/pain, and medical college as first ambition were the main risk factors for IBS.