Coping With Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS) - By: John Foley

Irritable Bowel syndrome is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists (doctors who specialize in medical treatment of disorders of the stomach and intestines) and one of the most common disorders seen by primary care physicians. In gastroenterology, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating relieved by defecation and alteration of bowel habits. Irritable Bowel Syndrome may begin after an infection (post-infectious, IBS-PI) or a stressful life event. IBS can be classified as either diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D), constipation-predominant (IBS-C) or IBS with alternating stool pattern (IBS-A or pain-predominant[6]). Other functional or pain disorders and certain psychological conditions are more common in those with IBS. In fact, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects approximately 10â€“20%Â of the general population.

In people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, symptoms result from what appears to be a disturbance in the interaction between the gut or intestines, the brain, and the autonomic nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function) or sensory function. Several conditions may present itself as IBS including celiac disease, mild infections, several inflammatory bowel diseases, functional chronic constipation and chronic functional abdominal pain. Some other causes of IBS are unknown.

Evidence that food allergies (other than celiac disease) and other immune system challenges can cause IBS symptoms are reported in various published research. People with IBS more commonly than others have gastroesophageal reflux, symptoms relating to the genitourinary system, psychological symptoms, fibromyalgia, headache and backache. In some individuals, IBS may have an acute onset and develop after an infectious illness characterised by two or more of the following: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or positive stool culture. Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome involves excluding conditions which produce IBS-like symptoms, and then following a procedure to categorize the patient's symptoms.

Because there are many causes of diarrhea and IBS-like symptoms, the American Gastroenterological Association has published a set of guidelines for tests to be performed to diagnose other conditions which may have symptoms similar to IBS. Once other causes have been excluded, the diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is performed using a diagnostic algorithm. The algorithm may include additional tests to guard against mis-diagnosis of other diseases like IBS. However, researchers have noted that red flag conditions may not always contribute to accuracy in diagnosis â€” for instance, as many as 31% of IBS patients have blood in their stool. Published research has demonstrated that some poor patient outcomes are due to treatable causes of diarrhea being mis-diagnosed as IBS. As mentioned earlier Coeliac disease in particular is often misdiagnosed as IBS.

Treatment options are available to manage Irritable Bowel Syndrome â€“ whether symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe. These treatments for IBS can include dietary adjustments, medication and psychological interventions, and as for any physiological condition, works best when it successfully addresses the cause of the condition.

High rates of success in resolving IBS symptoms have been reported when treatment is specifically tailored to the underlying causes revealed through proper testing for the range of known causes of IBS symptoms. The multi-herbal extract Iberogast was found to be significantly superior to placebo via both an abdominal pain scale and an IBS symptom score after four weeks of treatment. Gut-directed or gut-specific hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis is one of the most promising areas of IBS treatment, also Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches IBS on an individual symptom-by-symptom basis, rather than recognizing a standard "IBS" diagnosis, which then warrants a blanket "IBS" treatment.

As IBS is a chronic condition, with an ongoing fluctuating course, these treatments may help the individual to develop skills for managing the condition over the long haul. Irritable Bowel Syndrome does not lead to more serious conditions in most patients. Most individuals are surprised to learn they are not alone with the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

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