Personality, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients with Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome. The Polish Preliminary Study

Abstract

Objective: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) syndrome is associated with depression and anxiety. This study aimed to examine for the first time the correlation between personality traits, situational anxiety, and stress in Polish patients with SIBO. Methodology: This study included 26 patients with SIBO aged 20–35 years and 24 non-SIBO patients aged 20–35 years. The following instruments were used: NEO-FFI Personality Inventory, KPS Sense of Stress Questionnaire, and the anxiety-state subscale from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: Compared to the non-SIBO subgroup, SIBO patients expressed specific patterns of personality traits: higher neuroticism, lower extroversion, and a higher state of anxiety and stress. Unlike the non-SIBO subgroup, stress (total emotional tension, external, and intrapsychic) correlated negatively only with extroversion. Conclusions: Personality is the primary regulator of experience and behavior. The specificity captured in the research is a premise for an in-depth study considering various psychological variables to determine cause-effect relationships.

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Twelve Groups of Diseases Related- Current State of Knowledge

“…SIBO syndrome is associated with depression, stress and anxiety [198][199][200]. Dysbiosis and inflammation of the gut have been linked to several mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, in children and adults.…”

“…Fifty people participated in the study, of which 26 were diagnoses SIBO+, and 24 SIBO-(non-SIBO control group). According to conducted research compared to the no-SIBO subgroup, SIBO patients expressed specific patterns of personality traits: higher neuroticism, lower extroversion, and a higher state of anxiety and stress [198]. Experimental studies indicate that psychological stress can negatively affect the transit time of the small intestine, promote SIBO syndrome, and significantly disrupt the balance of the intestinal barrier [198].…”

“…According to conducted research compared to the no-SIBO subgroup, SIBO patients expressed specific patterns of personality traits: higher neuroticism, lower extroversion, and a higher state of anxiety and stress [198]. Experimental studies indicate that psychological stress can negatively affect the transit time of the small intestine, promote SIBO syndrome, and significantly disrupt the balance of the intestinal barrier [198]. The chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may play a crucial role in developing SIBO because the stress response is closely linked to the gut microbiome [198].…”

Association between Gut Dysbiosis and the Occurrence of SIBO, LIBO, SIFO and IMO

“…In addition to the diseases mentioned above, the co-occurrence of SIBO has been identified in: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [ 59 , 60 , 61 ], cirrhosis [ 62 ], chronic pancreatitis [ 63 ], obesity [ 64 ], cystic fibrosis [ 65 , 66 ], heart failure [ 67 , 68 ], hypothyroidism [ 69 ], Parkinson’s disease [ 70 , 71 , 72 ], depression [ 73 , 74 , 75 ], systemic sclerosis [ 76 , 77 ] chronic renal failure [ 78 , 79 ]. …”

SIBO - the present knowledge within the contekst of clinical dependencies and therapy

“…za pomocą krążących cytokin prozapalnych i przeciwzapalnych, które wpływają na receptory neuronów oraz komórek endotelialnych naczyń mózgowych. [16] Badania potwierdzają, że występowanie SIBO wiąże się z wyższym poziomem lęku i stresu, a nawet z rozwojem takich chorób jak depresja, czy zaburzenia afektywne [17,18,19] Sam stres psychiczny predysponuje do rozwoju SIBO poprzez nadmierną aktywacje układu współczulnego i zaburzenia pasażu jelitowego. [17]…”