Biological research for nursing
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Comparative Study
Comparison of autonomic nervous system indices based on abdominal pain reports in women with irritable bowel syndrome.
Abdominal pain is an important symptom in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but patients report typical pain intensities ranging from mild to very severe. In a sample of women, the authors sought to determine whether measures of systemic autonomic activity are related to self-reported pain intensity and the occurrence of pain in the postprandial period. ⋯ Even after statistically controlling for age, body mass index, and psychological distress, vagal heart rate variability measures were markedly lower in women reporting high pain (P < 0.01) and markedly higher in women reporting postprandial pain (P < 0.02). The vagal component of heart rate variability appears to be reduced in women with severe abdominal pain, especially in those whose pain is not postprandial.