About Irritable Bowl Syndrome🔗

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), also known as spastic colon is a symptom-based diagnosis. The syndrome is characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits. IBS is a functional bowel disorder, and has no known organic cause. Constipation or diarrhea maypredominate, or may alternate. Diagnosis of IBS can now be made on the basis of symptoms alone, in the absence of alarm features (eg. age of onset greater than 50 years, systemic signs of infection or colitis, gross hematochezia, weight loss, or family history of inflammatory bowel disease).

Onset of IBS is more likely to occur after the onset of a stressful life event or after an infection (post-infectious, IBSPI). Though there is no cure for IBS, there are treatments that attempt to relieve symptoms, such as medication, dietary adjustments, and psychological interventions.

Patient education and developing a good doctor-patient relationship are also important. IBS can present as several other conditions. These include: several inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac disease, fructose malabsorption, mild infections, parasitic infections like giardiasis, bile acid mal absorption, functional chronic constipation, and chronic functional abdominal pain. Routine clinical tests yield no abnormalities in IBS, although the bowels may be more sensitive to certain stimuli, such as balloon insufflations testing.

The exact cause of IBS is unknown. Although there may be abnormalities in the gut flora or the immune system, the most common theory is that IBS is a disorder of the interaction between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract. IBS is a source of chronic pain, fatigue, and other symptoms, but is not shown to have an effect on life expectancy. The disorder contributes to work absenteeism, and significantly affects quality of life.