Irritable Bowel Syndrome is very common and in America at least 58 million have or had IBS at some stage in their lives. They complain of diarrhoea and/constipation and cramp like abdominal pains. These symptoms vary in individual Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers and also from day to day. President of the IBS Self Help and Support Group, Jeffrey Roberts, says, “IBS is an illness which seems to strike people down.”

IBS is a collection of symptoms that are present for 12 weeks in twelve month period. It is characterised by abdominal pain and must include at least two of the following three facts. The pain is relieved by defecation, associated with change in the frequency of stool and change in the appearance of stools.

Certain foods and stress can trigger symptoms or cause a flare up of IBS. No one is certain what exactly Irritable Bowel syndrome is or what causes it. What we know, however, is that the Large Gut in IBS sufferers are more sensitive and, hormonal changes may be a trigger because 80% of IBS patients are women. There is higher incident in individuals who were physically or sexually abused as children and it can develop after a severe bout of gastroenteritis.

In IBS, there is no abnormality in the gut even though you have distressing symptoms such as abdominal pains, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and rectal pain. In fact it is not IBS if anything was found during investigation.

If you have symptoms of IBS, see your doctor for a diagnosis. Your doctor is likely to do tests to exclude serious diseases before a diagnosis of IBS is made. With the Rome Criteria, a diagnosis can be made with minimal diagnostic test. However, you should see your doctor very soon if you have bleeding from the rectum, loss of appetite, weight loss, anaemia or symptoms developing after fifty years of age because you will need addition investigation.

Some IBS sufferers think their illness is “All in the head.” This is not true but the brain and symptom development are linked and there is a strong belief that Brain-Gut connection is very important. Serotonin is linked to IBS. Low blood levels are found in Constipation predominant IBS and high levels are present in Diarrhoea predominant IBS.

In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the gut is normal, it is not a cancer and will not lead to cancer or other gastrointestinal disease and it is very common. It is estimated that at some time in their lives as much as 20% of the global population has or had IBS.

It is very difficult for IBS patients to come to terms with this condition especially when experts tell them the true cause is unknown, no one treatment works for everyone and that there is no cure. Depending on the type of IBS you have, dietary changes, behavioural therapy, stress management and an increasing range of alternative treatments options are available.

Some IBS patients have severe abdominal pains soon after eating certain foods. This may be because it is a large meal and in a sensitive gut triggers strong Gastro-colic reflex. This a very strong peristaltic contraction in response to stretching of the stomach. In IBS patients, this can be very painful. You can reduce this by having smaller meals and eat frequently. You need nutrients from food to remain healthy, so it is important that you do not avoid foods.

Stress is a trigger for IBS symptoms. Relieve stress and your IBS will improve.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 9:23 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.