GWAS to Identify Predictive Genetic Factors for the Success of Dietary Intervention in the Treatment of IBS Symptoms

Blood samples will be collected for DNA extraction. Genotyping be based on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Quality control (QC) filtering will be applied at individual-and variant-level using specialized software.

IBS- SSS contains 5 specific questions with instructions on how to score them. Each of the five questions (pain severity, pain frequency, abdominal distension severity, bowel movement satisfaction, quality of life) ranges from 0 to a maximum score of 100 using a visual analog scale (VAS) with total scores ranging from 0 to 500, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. Subjects can be categorized as having mild (75-175), moderate (175-300), or severe (>300) IBS. A decrease of 50 points is associated with a clinically meaningful improvement.

Fecal samples will be collected from each participant and stored at -80°C.

12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) is a 12-item questionnaire used to assess generic health outcomes from the patient's perspective, covering the eight domains of health outcomes: physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional & mental health. The items are weighted and summed to provide physical and mental health scores (PCS and MCS). The two composite scores are computed using the scores on the questions that range from 0 to 100, with higher score indicating better health.

The GSRS questionnaire was originally developed for dyspeptic patients but was later validated in patients with IBS. The GSRS is a 15-item questionnaire designed to assess common gastrointestinal symptoms. The questionnaire has five subscales, reflux, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain, with subscale scores ranging from 1 (no discomfort) to 7 (severe discomfort). Higher scores represent higher symptom burden.

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire is used for the assessment of anxiety and depression symptoms. It's a 14-item scale with seven items for each subscale, anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D). Each item is scored on a response scale with four alternatives, ranging between 0 and 3. The total score is the sum of the 14 items, and for each subscale the score is the sum of the respective seven items (ranging from 0-21). A final score of 0-7 on each scale indicates that the patient has no symptoms, a score of 8-10 indicates mild symptoms while a score ≥11 indicates severe symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders.