Baseline characteristics of the 56 subjects with IBS according to the cluster separation based on the differences in the microbiome
| Cluster 1 (n=28) | Cluster 2 (n=28) | P value | |
| Female (%) | 22 (79) | 19 (68) | 0.84 |
| Age (mean±SD) | 37.4±12.5 | 39.9±14.4 | 0.54 |
| BMI (mean±SD) | 29.4±7.7 | 26.5±5.4 | 0.08 |
| IBSD (%) | 12 (43) | 11 (39) | 1 |
| IBSM (%) | 16 (57) | 17 (61) | 1 |
| Post-infectious IBS (%) | 8 (28) | 6 (21) | 0.77 |
| Median IBS-SSS | 302 (n=24) (138–432) | 249 (n=27) (79–439) | 0.17 |
| Median FODMAP score | 8 (n=25) (5–12) | 8 (n=27) (3–13) | 0.58 |
| Antidepressants (%) | 6 (21) | 3 (11) | 0.48 |
| PPIs/H2RAs (%) | 1 (4) | 0 (0) | 1 |
| Smokers (%) | 4 (14) | 1 (4) | 0.36 |
| Median alcohol intake (U/week) | 3.5 (n=24) (0–28) | 0.5 (n=26) (0–20) | 0.13 |
Fisher’s test was applied on categorical variables (sex, IBSD, IBSM, post-infectious IBS, medications, smoking status), while Wilcoxon’s test was applied on continuous variables (age, BMI, IBS-SSS, FODMAP score, alcohol intake) to estimate statistical significance of the difference between groups.
BMI, body mass index; FODMAPs, fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols; IBS-SSS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System.