Nickel Sensitivity in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Aim: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder characterized by changes in chronic abdominal pain and bowel habits, without any organic cause. Nickel is the most common contact allergen in the population. So, in our study, we aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between nickel sensitivity and IBS. Methods: : This study was conducted with 50 patients with irritable bowel syndrome who were followed up in the gastroenterology department of Derince Training and Research Hospital between March 2018 and July 2018, and 40 healthy people as a control group in a single center with a dermatology department. European standard contact allergen series nickel preparate and corticosteroid pomace were applied to the back region of the study subjects. The evaluation was performed at 48, 72 and 96 hours according to the scheme proposed by the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group (ICDRG). Those who reacted at 72 hours were considered to have nickel allergy. Results: : The female/male ratio was 24/26 and 18/22 in the patient and control groups, respectively. The mean ages of the patient and control groups were 42.82 (±10.66) and 39.78 (±11.21) years, respectively. Nickel sensitivity was present in 38% of the patient group and 17.5% of the control group. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.03). Conclusion: We believe that the presence of nickel sensitivity is important in the pathogenesis of IBS disease. In our study, nickel sensitivity was found to be quite high in IBS patients compared to the normal population.