Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is an extremely common digestive disorder that causes significant abdominal discomfort and affects bowel function. It is a chronic condition, but unlike Inflammatory Bowel Disease, it does not cause inflammation or permanent damage to the gut.
Key Symptoms:
The defining features of IBS often revolve around how bowel movements relate to pain:
- Abdominal Pain: The pain typically feels eased or relieved after a bowel movement.
- Bowel Changes with Pain: The onset of pain is often associated with having looser stool or needing to go to the bathroom more frequently.
- Abdominal Distension: A feeling of being bloated or swollen.
- Incomplete Emptying: Feeling like you still need to pass stool, even immediately after a bowel movement.
- Mucus per Rectum: Passing mucus with stool.
Important "Alarm" Features:
The presence of certain signs is unusual for a simple IBS diagnosis and suggests the need to investigate a different, potentially more serious condition (alternate pathology):
- Blood in the stool.
- A family history of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or colon cancer.
- Fever.
- Onset of symptoms after the age of 50.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Chronic diarrhea that is severe.
- Progressive dysphagia (difficulty swallowing that gets worse over time).
Diagnosis:
The diagnosis of IBS is primarily made by recognizing the specific set of IBS symptoms and confirming the absence of these alarming features. If alarming features are present, further testing is required.
Treatment:
Treatment for IBS is tailored to the individual's most prominent symptoms and may involve a combination of approaches:
Targeted Medications:
- Antispasmodics: To help relax the muscles in the gut and relieve painful cramping.
- Laxatives: For those whose main symptom is constipation.
- Antidiarrhoeals: For those whose main symptom is diarrhea.
Mental Health Support:
- Antidepressants and Anxiolytics: These medications can help reduce pain and address the underlying connection between stress, anxiety, and gut function (the brain-gut axis).
Gut Flora Management:
- Antibiotics: Certain non-absorbable antibiotics may be used to alter gut bacteria.
- Probiotics: To introduce beneficial bacteria into the gut.