The Rome IV criteria assist physicians in diagnosing functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the wide-ranging symptoms included don't do a good job of distinguishing all disorders. The Rome Foundation has proposed changes to ROME IV, including reduction in the required duration and frequency of symptoms, and a greater focus on whether symptoms are bothersome.
In a review published in Gastroenterology, researchers suggest that these changes can improve the accuracy of IBS diagnoses. The researchers maintain that Rome IV identifies IBS patients with severe symptoms and a high burden of psychological comorbidity.
The review authors analyzed data from two previous studies. One was a cross-sectional survey of 1,375 self-reported IBS patients in the United Kingdom. When the researchers applied Rome IV criteria versus the earlier Rome III criteria, the proportion of patients identified as having IBS dropped from 79% to 59%. Those identified with IBS by Rome IV had more severe symptoms and worse psychological health. When the researchers applied the modified Rome IV criteria for IBS to the cross-sectional survey, they found that 92.5% met the criteria. Compared to those who did not meet the criteria for IBS by the modified standard, those who did were more likely to have anxiety (49.0% versus 37.3%;
