Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome in a multi‐ethnic Asian population

Sirs, In relation to the recent article by Lu et al. on the prevalence, social impact and health-seeking behaviour of irritable bowel syndrome patients in Taiwan,1 we would like to share our own prevalence data on irritable bowel syndrome in a multi-racial Asian population. It is widely believed that irritable bowel syndrome is rather uncommon in Asia. Prevalence studies on irritable bowel syndrome in Asia have reported varying results: Singapore (2.3%),2 Thailand (4.4%),3 Hong Kong (6.6%, Rome II criteria),4 China (22.8%, Manning criteria),5 Bangladesh (24.4%, Manning criteria; 8.5%, Rome I criteria)6 and Taiwan (22.1%, Rome II criteria).1 This may be due to the use of questionnaires based on different definitions of functional gastrointestinal disorders and to variations in the study…