Journal of American Science 2016;12(2) http://www.jofamericanscience.org 91 Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and its Relation to Self-esteem, Depression, and Quality of Life of Female Students in Health-Related Facultiesat Umm Al-Qura University Hanan Said Ali 1 , Youssreya Ibrahim 2 , Abdullah A Saati 3 , Esraa Esam-Eldin 1 , Muna Ibrahim H Al Harbi 4 Medical Surgical Nursing 1 , Critical Care Nursing 2 , Environmental Health and Toxicology Department of Community Medicine and Pilgrims Healthcare. Faculty of Medicine 3 , Community Health Nursing 4 , Umm Al Qura University dr_hanan10@yahoo.com Abstract: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a widespread disorder associated with stressful factors among university students. This study aim was to measure the prevalence of IBS among female students in health-related faculties, identify its potential risk factors, and assess associated psychological aspects such as symptoms of depression, self-esteem, and Quality of Life (QoL). This cross-sectional analytic study was conducted on 1351 female students enrolled in all medical faculties, faculty of nursing, pharmacy, applied medical science and faculty of medicine, dentist at Umm Al Qura University, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding IBS (developed by the World Gastroenterology Organization), self-esteem (Rosenberg self- esteem scale), and depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), the IBS-QoL scale, in addition to relevant socio-demographic and health data. Data were collected from December 2013 to May 2014.The prevalence of IBS was 33.7% (95% CI 31.33-36.07); 58.5% had depressive symptoms (95% CI 56.03-60.97); 9.3% had low self-esteem (95% CI 7.85-10.75), and 10.0% had low QoL (95% CI 8.50-11.50).From multivariate analysis, IBS was associated with use of laxatives (OR=4.14), stress (OR=2.14), and drinking tea (OR=1.43), while the intake of fibers was protective (OR=0.65). The presence of IBS was significant independent factor leading to worse QoL, while a higher school year and a higher self-esteem were associated with better QoL. The study concludes that the prevalence of IBS among university students in health-related faculties is high. Its independently associated factors are stress, use of laxatives, and low fiber intake. The disorder is associated with high prevalence of depressive symptoms and low QoL, in addition to low self-esteem. Screening programs for IBS and related psychological problems are recommended. [Hanan Said Ali, Youssreya Ibrahim, Abdullah A Saati, Esraa Esam-Eldin, Muna Ibrahim H Al Harbi. Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and its Relation to Self-esteem, Depression, and Quality of Life of Female Students in Health-Related Faculties at Umm Al-Qura University. J Am Sci2016;12(2):91-102]. ISSN 1545- 1003 (print); ISSN 2375-7264 (online).http://www.jofamericanscience.org .10. doi:10.7537/marsjas120216.10 . Keywords:Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Self-esteem, Depression, Quality of Life, University students. 1. Introduction Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common conditions encountered in clinical practice but one of the least well understood. (1,2) It is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by a group of symptoms that occur together, with no organic GI damage, i.e. not a disease. In the past, IBS was called colitis, mucous colitis, spastic colon, nervous colon, and spastic bowel. The name was changed to reflect the understanding that the disorder has both physical and mental causes and is not a product of a person’s imagination. (3) The symptoms of IBS usually first appear between 20 and 30 years of age, and is more common in women). (4) They tend to come and go in bouts, often during times of stress or after eating certain foods, and vary in severity among individuals. Patients usually experience abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, with predominance of diarrhea (IBS-D), constipation (IBS-C), or both (IBS-M). Some may also have mucus in stools with painful stomach cramps with bowels opening. (5) Visceral hypersensitivity and its modification along with the central transmission are the characteristics of IBSpatients. (6) Nonetheless, the severity of symptoms appears to have a modest role in how IBS patients describe their health in general. (7) There is no definitive investigation as no biomarker has been found, so IBS is diagnosed clinically through medical history questions focusing on bowel habits, diet, exercise, and stress. (8) Physical examination looks for other possible causes of GI problems. Blood chemistries may be ordered to look for abnormalities such as an allergy to gluten, in addition to testing for blood in the stool. Endoscopy of the GI tract may include a colonoscopy and esophago- gastro-duodeno-scopy. Biopsies may be taken to exclude the possibility of cancer, celiac disease, or inflammatory bowel disease. (9)