Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38130999›Full record

ArticleWorld journal of gastroenterology2023

Enduring association between irritable bowel syndrome and war trauma during the Nicaragua civil war period: A population-based study.

Edgar M Peña-Galo, Daniel Wurzelmann, Javier Alcedo, Rodolfo Peña, Loreto Cortes, Douglas Morgan

Open access · hybridAbstract readClinical Study
In one paragraph

Article in World journal of gastroenterology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effects of Earthquake Fear and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome after a Major Earthquake in Türkiye: A Multicenter Study.The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Edgar M Peña-GaloDepartment of Digestive Diseases, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza 50009, Aragon, Spain.
Daniel WurzelmannDepartment of Mental Health, Carolina Partners, Durham, NC 27707, United States.
Javier AlcedoDepartment of Digestive Diseases, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza 50009, Aragon, Spain.
Rodolfo PeñaDepartment of Data Analysis, CIDE (Research, Development and Epidemiology Center), Tegucigalpa 11101, Francisco Morazán, Honduras.
Loreto CortesSchool of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Leon 21000, Leon, Nicaragua.
Douglas MorganDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, UAB University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States.
Servicio Aragonés de Salud · ESCarolina Urology Partners · USUniversidad Metropolitana de Honduras · HNUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua-León · NIUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPsychosocial and physical trauma are known risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), including in war veterans, whereas war exposure in civilians is unclear. Nicaragua experienced two wars, 1970-1990: The Sandinistas Revolution (1970s) and The Contra War (1980s). Our aim was to investigate the role of exposure to war trauma in the subsequent development of IBS in the context of an established health surveillance system (11000 households).

aimTo investigate in a civilian population the relationship between exposure to war trauma and events and the subsequent development of IBS in the context of an established public health and demographic surveillance system in western Nicaragua.

methodsWe conducted a nested population-based, cross-sectional study focused on functional gastrointestinal disorders based on Rome II criteria. 1617 adults were randomly selected. The Spanish Rome II Modular Questionnaire and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were validated in Nicaragua. War exposure was assessed with 10 measures of direct and indirect war trauma and post-war effects. Multiple exposures were defined by ≥ 3 measures.

resultsThe prevalence of IBS was 15.2% [Female (F) 17.1%, Male (M) 12.0%], war exposure 19.3% (F 9.3%, M 36.7%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 5.6% (F 6.4%, M 4.3%). Significant associations with IBS in the civilian population were observed (adjusted by gender, age, socioeconomic status, education): physical and psychological abuse [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.25; 95% confidence interval: 1.1-4.5], witnessed execution (aOR: 2.4; 1.1-5.2), family member death (aOR: 2.2; 1.2-4.2), and multiple exposures (aOR: 2.7; 1.4-5.1). PTSD was independently associated with IBS (aOR: 2.6; 1.2-5.7).

conclusionAn enduring association was observed in the Nicaragua civilian population between specific civil war-related events and subsequent IBS. Civilian populations in regions with extended armed conflict may warrant provider education and targeted interventions for patients.

Indexed as

Irritable Bowel SyndromeStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleNicaraguaPrevalenceRisk FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesCentral AmericaCivil warFunctional gastrointestinal disordersIrritable bowel syndromePost-traumatic stress disorderWar trauma

Identifiers

PMID38130999
PMCPMC10731151
OpenAlexW4389215035

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.