Prevalence of methanogens and associated factors in patients with irritable bowel syndrome and healthy controls in a Southeastern Mexican population

Introduction: Methane (CH₄) is an inert gas produced by colonic anaerobes and has been associated with different intestinal diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). According to geographic region, the prevalence of methanogens varies, being higher in Africa (80%) and lower in the United States (35-40%). In Mexico, the prevalence of methanogens is unknown.

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of CH₄ producers and associated factors in a group of patients with IBS and controls in a Mexican population.

Materials and methods: A baseline fasting measurement of alveolar H₂ and CH₄ gas was carried out, by gas chromatography (stationary phase), in consecutive patients diagnosed with IBS and a control group. Subjects with baseline levels of H₂ of 0 ppm and CH₄ ≥ 5 ppm were classified as methanogenic.

Results: A total of 132 controls (53.8% women) and 67 patients with IBS (76% women) were included. The overall prevalence (n = 199) of methanogenic subjects was 38% (n = 76) (95% CI: 0.31-0.45) and they had a greater prevalence of overweight/obesity (56.5 vs 39.8%, P = .028). The prevalence of methanogens in the healthy controls was 41.6% (95% CI: 0.33-0.49), whereas, in the patients with IBS, it was 31.4% (n = 21, 71% IBS-C and 29% IBS-M).

Conclusions: The prevalence of methanogens in our study on a Mexican population was comparable to that reported in other populations and was associated with overweight/obesity. One-third of the patients with IBS presented with methanogens. Said microorganisms were particularlyassociated with the constipation-predominant IBS subtype.