Prevalence and risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome in recovered and non-recovered borderline patients over 10 years of prospective follow-up

This study examined rates of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) over 10 years of prospective follow‐up among recovered and non‐recovered patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Subsequently, risk factors for IBS were examined in female BPD patients. As part of the McLean Study of Adult Development, 264 BPD patients were assessed at baseline, and their medical conditions and time‐varying predictors of IBS were assessed over five waves of follow‐up (from 6‐year follow‐up to 16‐year follow‐up). Semi‐structured interviews were used to assess both our IBS outcome variable and our baseline and time‐varying predictor variables. Rates of IBS were not significantly different between recovered and non‐recovered borderline patients when men and women were considered together and when men were considered alone. However, a significant difference in IBS rates was found between recovered and non‐recovered female BPD patients, with the latter reporting significantly higher rates. The rates of IBS in women with BPD were found to be significantly predicted by a family history of IBS and a childhood history of verbal, emotional and/or physical abuse. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that both biological/social learning factors and childhood adversity may be risk factors for IBS in women with BPD. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.