In a large retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network, researchers found strong bidirectional associations between anxiety disorders and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with anxiety significantly increasing the risk of subsequent IBS and IBS likewise increasing the risk of later anxiety over 5 years, whereas associations between anxiety and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were weaker and asymmetric. After propensity score matching, anxiety was associated with a nearly 2.7-fold increased risk of IBS and a 1.6-fold increased risk of IBD, while IBS was associated with a more than twofold increased risk of anxiety, but IBD was not associated with a significantly increased risk of subsequent anxiety.

Source: Cureus