ReviewNature reviews. Immunology2022
Immune activation in irritable bowel syndrome: what is the evidence?
Review in Nature reviews. Immunology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 68 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- European Consensus on Functional Bloating and Abdominal Distension-An ESNM/UEG Recommendations for Clinical Management.United European gastroenterology journal · 2025Guideline
- Is there a bidirectional relationship between allergic rhinitis and irritable bowel syndrome? A meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Pooled it
- Improvement of irritable bowel syndrome with glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Pooled it
- Global research states and trends of micro RNA in irritable bowel syndrome: a bibliometric analysis.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Global research status and trends of enteric glia: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- Trial
- Life-course hygiene exposures and disorders of gut-brain interaction: a multinational cross-sectional study.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Duloxetine as a gut-brain axis modulator in irritable bowel syndrome: neuroimmune, microbiota, and pharmacogenomic perspectives.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Review
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Contemporary Management Approaches, Limitations, and Future Directions.Cureus · 2026Review
- Resolution of Long-Standing Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms After Treatment of Psoriasis With Risankizumab.The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology · 2026Article
- Patients' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Non-pharmacological Treatments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Journal of neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Article
- The Neuroimmune Connectome: Understanding how the Peripheral Nervous System shapes Immunity.ImmunoHorizons · 2026Review
- The Potential Anticancer Mechanisms of Probiotics: A Comprehensive Review.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Article
- Mechanisms and clinical implications of gut-brain interactions.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Review
- The interplay between gastrointestinal dysfunction and gut microbiota dynamics in sepsis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- AI digital-twin ecosystem translating gut-microbiome-neuroimmune signals into precision sleep-mood interventions.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Tongxie Yaofang ameliorates IBS-D by targeting the gut microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites and AhR signaling axis.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Low-Grade Inflammation: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Drug Targets in Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Review
- Large-scale meta- and cross-trait analyses uncover shared genetic risk factors for IBS and psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder that is characterized by abdominal pain and an altered defecation pattern. It affects between 5 and 20% of the general population and can seriously impact quality of life. The pathophysiology of IBS is rather complex and multifactorial including, for example, altered signalling by the gut-brain axis, dysbiosis, abnormal visceral pain signalling and intestinal immune activation. The latter has gained particular interest in recent years, with growing insight into the bidirectional communication between the nervous system and the immune system. In this Review, we detail the current evidence suggesting that immune activation contributes to the pathology seen in patients with IBS and discuss the potential mechanisms involved. Moreover, we describe how immune mediators, particularly those released by mast cells, can directly activate or sensitize pain-transmitting nerves, leading to increased pain signalling and abdominal pain. Finally, we discuss the potential of interventions targeting immune activation as a new therapeutic strategy for patients suffering from IBS.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.