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Irritable Bowel Syndrome Overview

What is irritable bowel syndrome?

Irritable bowel syndrome is the result of   functional abdominal pain. Functional, in medical terms, simply means that there is no known organic disease. IBS is a collection of symptoms that the medical community has not found a cause, or cure for.

What are the major symptoms of IBS?

• bloating
• diarrhea
• constipation
• flatulence
• A sense of having an imcomplete defecation.
• Mucus in the stool

What causes irritable bowel syndrome?

The food you eat, and the fluids you drink all pass through the  gastrointestinal system, the GI tract. The GI tract is fueled by   muscles and nerves that connect, to the spinal cord and brain. Events occurring in the GI tract are relayed to the brain through neural connections, the response of the brain is relayed back to the gastrointestinal tract. This activity results in any sensation you feel in the bowel. If any abnormality interupts this process, you will experience a change in your GI tract. You may experience acute diarrhea, or constipation. You will experience pain and bloating.

In some cases, the contents of your digestive tract may move to slow. This can cause pain, cramping, reflux (heartburn), bloating and vomiting. It is known that high levels of anxiety, and stress can induce diarrhea.

Who is affected by irritable bowel syndrome?

• Children and adults can experience irritable bowel syndrome.
• It is estimated that over thirty-three percent of adults have lived with IBS since childhood.
• More women than men are affected by IBS.
• There is no known gene that causes irritable bowel syndrome, but it does seem to run in families.

How can IBS affect afflicted children?

Children with irritable bowel syndrome often feel sick, and tired. They may have little warning when they need to use the bathrom, which could result in accidents. They may be emarrassed and refuse to go to school. They can become depressed or anxious as a result of this disorder. They may also refuse to eat, to avoid the pain and other symptoms, causing them to need special dietary help to stay healthy.

Do You have IBS?

• Do you have abdominal pain that has been present for more than three months?
• Has your bowel pattern changed to a cycle of diarrhea and constipation?
• Do you have frequent headaches?
• Does your skin look sickly, pale?
• Do you experience nausea?
• Do you experience dizziness?
• Are you afraid to eat, for fear of causing abdominal pain?
• Do you have Limb pain?

The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome can mimic other curable conditions. Always consult your physician, and take the appropriate tests to rule out other conditions.

How is irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed?

Your physician will obtain a  medical history, perform an examination, and order certain tests. They will go over the data, and if they find an absence of other disorders, will begin to treat you for IBS. Some of the tests they may require are;

• Blood tests
• Urine sample.
• Stool sample
• Occult blood test for Stools.
• Lactose breath hydrogen test
• x-ray's
• Ultrasound
• Endoscopy
• Colonoscopy
  

Treatment for irritable bowel syndrome:

• You may be taken off of foods containg lactose.
• You may be told to eat more, or less fiber.
• You may be given drugs to reduce the spasms in the intestine.
• You may, or may not be given medication to control the pain.

I.B.S. should not be be mistaken for Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
(It is possible to get a diagnosis of IBS concurrent with a diagnosis of IBD.)

IBD is a Chronic inflammation of the bowel common to a group of conditions that includes Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The conditions cycle through periods of activity and remission.  Periods of inflammatory activity cause diarrhoea, pain, bloody stools and poor absorption of nutrients.

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Page Updated: September 05, 2007

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