Digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and constipation rose sharply during the pandemic, fueled by stress and viral effects.
United States: Researchers note that the COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on the guts of Americans.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a type of gut disorder that has grown vastly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.
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The results showed that rates of IBS close to doubled among adults in the US, going up to about 11 percent in May 2022 compared to 6 percent in May 2020.
Other intestinal disorders such as constipation were also prevalent, researchers state in the journalNeurogastroenterology & Motility.
📈 During the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of #IBS jumped nearly 2x. Our new @CedarsSinai study suggests that disruptions to the gut-brain axis may have contributed to a surge in digestive disorders, even among those who never got COVID. #GutBrainAxis #COVID19 https://t.co/tfYVvBSVIr
— Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS (@BrennanSpiegel) June 27, 2025
According to the lead researcher, Dr. Christopher Almario, who is a gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, “Rates of digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome and chronic idiopathic constipation rose significantly,” US News reported.
“These findings underscore the significant toll the pandemic has taken on digestive health,” Almario noted.
This kind of IBS and chronic constipation is said to occur because of interaction between the gut and nervous system, as the researchers said in background notes.
“These disorders involve chronic gastrointestinal symptoms that are often triggered or worsened by psychological stress,” the expert added.
By the impact of COVID infection on the gastrointestinal tract and the stress associated with social distancing, isolation, and fear of infection, the researchers estimated that a higher number of individuals might have experienced the development of a gut health disorder in the course of the pandemic, US News reported.
In a study performed on over 160,000 adults in the United States, the researchers evaluated the national surveys of adults about the emotions connected to their caffeine change.
Respondents were asked to fill in questionnaires on digestive symptoms and mental and lifestyle changes.
Results indicate that the most frequently mentioned IBS in people is mixed IBS, a disease in which the patient experiences constipation and diarrhea.