Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Prevalence, risk factors in an adult Lebanese population  
 
Version: 0 Date: 05 Sep 2017  
 
Reviewer: Renato Bocchini  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Comments  
 
 
1) Lebanon, as far as I know,  is a multiethnical country with different religions: are this 
differences related to food habits ? Apparently these differences, if existing,  have not 
been considered. And thi s could be important for example about alcohol consumption (I 
mean that if islamic population is prevalent in the sample, they should drink less or no 
alcohol, and this could modify the real correlation between alcohol and ibs)  
 
 
 
2) As the authors themselves  say, the sample is totally constituted by well educated people 
(at least secondary school, but the majority university degree) and does not involve 
different class of population. The title should be" ... in a subset of adult  lebanese 
population"  
 
 
 
3) about  water pipe smokers: what does it means? does they smoke tobacco or other 
substances? the authors should consider and debate  the possible effects of the smoked 
substances on the colonic motility  
 
 
 
4) and finally of course it would have been better to employ  the rome 4 criteria  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify whi ch controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you  recommend an  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
Quality of written English  
Please in dicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financia l competing interests in relation to this paper?  
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
   
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the websi te along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under a n Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand tha t any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Prevalence, risk factors in an adult Lebanese population  
 
Version: 0 Date: 05 Sep 2017  
 
Reviewer: Renato Bocchini  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Comments  
 
 
1) Lebanon, as far as I know,  is a multiethnical country with different religions: are this 
differences related to food habits ? Apparently these differences, if existing,  have not 
been considered. And thi s could be important for example about alcohol consumption (I 
mean that if islamic population is prevalent in the sample, they should drink less or no 
alcohol, and this could modify the real correlation between alcohol and ibs)  
 
 
 
2) As the authors themselves  say, the sample is totally constituted by well educated people 
(at least secondary school, but the majority university degree) and does not involve 
different class of population. The title should be" ... in a subset of adult  lebanese 
population"  
 
 
 
3) about  water pipe smokers: what does it means? does they smoke tobacco or other 
substances? the authors should consider and debate  the possible effects of the smoked 
substances on the colonic motility  
 
 
 
4) and finally of course it would have been better to employ  the rome 4 criteria  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify whi ch controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you  recommend an  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
Quality of written English  
Please in dicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financia l competing interests in relation to this paper?  
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
   
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the websi te along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under a n Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand tha t any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Prevalence, risk factors in an adult Lebanese population  
 
Version: 0 Date: 05 Sep 2017  
 
Reviewer: Renato Bocchini  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Comments  
 
 
1) Lebanon, as far as I know,  is a multiethnical country with different religions: are this 
differences related to food habits ? Apparently these differences, if existing,  have not 
been considered. And thi s could be important for example about alcohol consumption (I 
mean that if islamic population is prevalent in the sample, they should drink less or no 
alcohol, and this could modify the real correlation between alcohol and ibs)  
 
 
 
2) As the authors themselves  say, the sample is totally constituted by well educated people 
(at least secondary school, but the majority university degree) and does not involve 
different class of population. The title should be" ... in a subset of adult  lebanese 
population"  
 
 
 
3) about  water pipe smokers: what does it means? does they smoke tobacco or other 
substances? the authors should consider and debate  the possible effects of the smoked 
substances on the colonic motility  
 
 
 
4) and finally of course it would have been better to employ  the rome 4 criteria  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify whi ch controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you  recommend an  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
Quality of written English  
Please in dicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financia l competing interests in relation to this paper?  
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
   
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the websi te along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under a n Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand tha t any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant