Vietnam's IBS research highlights psychological burden and major evidence gaps
A scoping review mapped diagnosis, symptoms and treatment research, finding uneven prevalence estimates and limited evidence on lasting treatment effects.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review describes irritable bowel syndrome research in Vietnam as dominated by hospital-based snapshots, with prevalence estimates varying greatly by setting. Anxiety and depression commonly accompanied IBS and were associated with poorer quality of life. Small treatment studies reported improvements, but the abstract does not establish which approach works best or whether benefits last.
Most included studies were cross-sectional and hospital-based, limiting conclusions about national prevalence and cause and effect. Biomarker findings were preliminary, and evidence on long-term treatment outcomes, diet and economic burden remained scarce.
Setting changes the picture
IBS prevalence estimates came from very different groups, including university students and gastroenterology patients. Those figures should not be treated as interchangeable estimates for Vietnam's population, because the review describes distinct sampling settings.
Early treatment evidence
The review noted symptom and quality-of-life improvements in small studies of several treatments and counseling. It did not provide comparative effect sizes in the abstract, leaving the strength and durability of those reported improvements difficult to assess.
The original publication
Exploring IBS in Vietnam: an updated review of current trends and treatment landscape.
Vo TD, Luu ATP
Front Med (Lausanne) · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41919164
- Record checked
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