Nigerian physician-scientist, Dr Abdulsalam Aliyu, has highlighted the prevalence and health burden of bowel disorders in two studies presented at the IBS Days 2026 conference in Bologna, Italy.
The conference, held from June 15 to 17 at Palazzo Re Enzo, featured research on gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders of gut-brain interaction.
Aliyu is a postdoctoral research fellow in neurogastroenterology at the Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, where his research focuses on gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders of gut-brain interaction.
In the first study, Aliyu and his colleagues examined incomplete bowel emptying among 825 adults in Sweden who reported bowel symptoms.
The researchers found that 82 per cent of the participants experienced incomplete bowel emptying at least occasionally, while 37 per cent of those who reported the symptom experienced it frequently.
The study also found that frequent incomplete bowel emptying occurred across different bowel habits and was reported by 61 per cent of participants with irritable bowel syndrome.
According to the findings, increasing frequency of the symptom was associated with more severe bowel, psychological and non-gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as poorer quality of life.
The researchers said incomplete bowel emptying should not be dismissed as a minor complaint or considered only in patients with constipation.
They recommended that clinicians routinely ask patients about the symptom when assessing different bowel disorders and consider its effects on their overall well-being.
In the second study, Aliyu and an international team examined the prevalence and burden of disorders of gut-brain interaction in Nigeria using data from the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study.
The population-based study involved 1,632 adults across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and found that 23.5 per cent, or nearly one in four participants, met the criteria for at least one disorder of gut-brain interaction.
The prevalence was higher among women, at 26.1 per cent, than men, at 21 per cent. The study also found a higher prevalence in northern Nigeria than in the southern regions.
The most common conditions identified included functional dyspepsia, unspecified functional bowel disorder, functional constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
Participants with the disorders reported poorer physical and mental quality of life, more psychological and non-gastrointestinal symptoms, and greater use of healthcare services.
The findings highlighted the need for government and public health authorities to give greater attention to bowel disorders in health education, clinical training and healthcare planning.
Public awareness programmes could help people recognise persistent symptoms, reduce stigma and seek appropriate medical care rather than rely solely on self-medication.
The researchers also called for adequate support and training for clinicians to recognise disorders of gut-brain interaction and assess their physical and psychological effects.
They recommended further studies to investigate the regional differences identified in Nigeria and determine how diet, healthcare access, socioeconomic conditions and other factors influence the disorders.
They further urged medical institutions and funding agencies to support larger African studies to ensure that diagnostic and treatment strategies reflect the experiences of local populations rather than rely predominantly on evidence from Europe and North America.
The two studies underscore the impact of bowel symptoms on patients’ health and daily lives, while highlighting opportunities to improve research, diagnosis and patient care.