DETECTION OF LATENT INTESTINAL DYSFUNCTION OF MILITARY PERSONNEL

The relevance of the problem of diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome in military personnel is determined by its prevalence among the population, which is an average of 15-25% in the structure of pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as a significant decrease in the quality of life of such patients, a possible negative impact on their performance of official duties. A study was conducted in a group of military personnel using an original visual questionnaire for evaluating bowel function, the purpose of which is to identify hidden bowel dysfunction. Military personnel were asked to describe the number and nature of defecations in the previous week using the Bristol scale of fecal forms. These data were later processed using the world health organization's clinical guidelines. According to the results of the research, a group of military personnel with hidden intestinal dysfunction was identified: 57.1% of them have intestinal dysfunction with a predominance of constipation, 28.6% - intestinal dysfunction with a predominance of diarrhea, and 14.3% - mixed-type intestinal dysfunction. It is also noted that there is often a difficulty in diagnosing this disease due to the low turnout of patients to specialists on this issue, and that the use of an original visual questionnaire for evaluating bowel function allows to overcome the psychological barrier in patients, provided the correct, competent questionnaire, to improve the differential diagnosis among diseases of the lower digestive tract. The expediency of using this original visual questionnaire for evaluating bowel function in the in-depth medical examination of military personnel for further expansion of diagnostic measures for the purpose of early diagnosis of organic pathology and timely treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is demonstrated.

bowel dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, gastrointestinal tract, abdominal pain, screening