You are on page 1of 1

GIT Symptoms and Stress

According to the study of Konturek et.al., exposure to stress results in alterations of the brain-
gut interactions ("brain-gut axis") ultimately leading to the development of a broad array of
gastrointestinal disorders including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
and other functional gastrointestinal diseases, food antigen-related adverse responses, peptic ulcer and
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Effects of stress in the physiology of GIT due to mast cells that
release neurotransmitters and proinflammatory cytokines that can affect gut physiology include: 1)
alterations in gastrointestinal motility; 2) increase in visceral perception; 3) changes in gastrointestinal
secretion; 4) increase in intestinal permeability; 5) negative effects on regenerative capacity of
gastrointestinal mucosa and mucosal blood flow; and 6) negative effects on intestinal microbiota. When
evaluating for the stress-induced condition in the upper GI tract, the diagnostic testing includes mainly
blood tests and gastroscopy to rule out GERD and peptic ulcer disease. Additionally, melatonin an
important mediator of brain gut axis has been shown to exhibit important protective effects against
stress-induced lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. Finally, probiotics may profoundly affect the brain-
gut interactions ("microbiome-gut-brain axis") and attenuate the development of stress-induced
disorders in both the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. (Konturek et.al., 2011)

Contrary to the study of Konturek et.al., the study of Hertig, et.al. in 2007, according to them,
there were significant across-women correlations among mean daily stress, psychological distress, and
GI symptoms in the total IBS group and the IBS bowel pattern subgroups. The across-women
relationships between daily stress and GI symptoms were diminished when anxiety and depression were
controlled in the analyses. Within-woman analyses showed little evidence of relationship between day-
to-day variations in stress and day-to-day variations in GI symptoms; however, stress was strongly
related to anxiety and depression. (Hertig, et.al., 2007)

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22314561

Konturek, P.C., et.al.(2011). Stress and the Gut: Pathophysiology, Clinical Consequences, Diagnostic
Approach and Treatment Options. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 591 - 599.

Source:
http://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline/Abstract/2007/11000/Daily_Stress_and_Gastrointestin
al_Symptoms_in.5.aspx

Hertig, V. L., et.al. (2007). Daily Stress and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Women With Irritable Bowel
Syndrome. Nursing Research, 399 - 406.

You might also like