Irritable bowel syndrome

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a group of symptoms that occur together including pain or discomfort in your abdomen along with changes in your bowel movements. Also called a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder; "when your GI tract behaves in an abnormal way without evidence of damage due to a disease."[1]

IBS affects 10 to 15 percent of US adults. Only 5-7 percent of US adults have received a diagnosis of IBS.[2]

Four types of IBS[edit | edit source]

Stool consistency dictates the four types.[3]

  • IBS with constipation
  • IBS with diarrhea
  • Mixed IBS
  • Unsubtyped IBS

ME/CFS and IBS[edit | edit source]

"Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) frequently go together. No one really knows why, but we do know that all three conditions can include imbalances of serotonin -- although in fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) it's an imbalance in the brain, while with IBS it's in the gut."[4]
The findings show that is a characteristic of a subset of patients with ME/CFS and that increased bacterial translocation (leaky gut) is associated with IBS symptoms. This study has defined a pathway phenotype, i.e bacterial translocation, that is related to ME/CFS and IBS and that may drive systemic inflammatory processes.[5]
Katrina Berne reports a prevalence of 50-90% for IBS symptoms (including diarrhea, nausea, gas, and abdominal pain) in ME/CFS patients.[6]

Tests and diagnosis[edit | edit source]

Mayo Clinic provides the following information on IBS, Tests and Diagnosis[7]

Excerpt:

What it's Like to Have a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy. By Cancer Research UK
What happens during and after a colonoscopy? By You and Colonoscopy
CT (Computed Tomography) Scan: What to expect By UW Medicine
  • Rome criteria. According to these criteria, you must have certain signs and symptoms before a doctor diagnoses irritable bowel syndrome. The most important are abdominal pain and discomfort lasting at least three days a month in the last three months, associated with two or more of following: improvement with defecation, altered frequency of stool or altered consistency of stool.
  • Manning criteria. These criteria focus on pain relieved by defecation, having incomplete bowel movements, mucus in the stool and changes in stool consistency. The more symptoms present, the greater the likelihood of IBS.
Some red flag signs and symptoms that suggest a need for additional testing include:
  • New onset after age 50
  • Weight loss
  • Rectal bleeding
  • Fever
  • Nausea or recurrent vomiting
  • Abdominal pain, especially if it's not completely relieved by a bowel movement, or occurs at night
  • Diarrhea that is persistent or awakens you from sleep
  • Anemia related to low iron

Imaging:

  • Additional Tests:
  • Flexible sigmoidoscopy
  • Colonoscopy
  • X-ray (radiography)
  • Computerized tomography (CT) scan
  • Lower GI series[8]

Laboratory tests:

  • Lactose intolerance
  • Breath
  • Blood
  • Stool[9]

Notable studies[edit | edit source]

  • Aug 2009, Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome[10] (Full Text)
  • Mar 2018, Protease signaling through protease activated receptor 1 mediate nerve activation by mucosal supernatants from irritable bowel syndrome but not from ulcerative colitis patients[11] (Full Text) (Biomarkers)

See also[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "Definition & Facts for Irritable Bowel Syndrome | NIDDK". National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  2. How Common is IBS - NIH Health Topics
  3. Definition and Facts for Irritable Bowel Syndrome - IBS - NIH Health Topics
  4. Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Why Do They Go Together? - About.com Health FMS/ME/CFS
  5. Evidence for the existence of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) with and without abdominal discomfort (irritable bowel) syndrome.- NCBI,(2014) Study
  6. Berne, Katrina (December 1, 1995). Running on Empty: The Complete Guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFIDS) (2nd ed.). Hunter House. p. 58. ISBN 978-0897931915.
  7. Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Tests and Diagnosis - Mayo Clinic
  8. Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Tests and Diagnosis - Mayo Clinic
  9. Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Tests and Diagnosis - Mayo Clinic
  10. Thabane, Marroon; Marshall, John K (August 7, 2009). "Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome". World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG. 15 (29): 3591–3596. doi:10.3748/wjg.15.3591. ISSN 1007-9327. PMC 2721231. PMID 19653335.
  11. Buhner, Sabine; Hahne, Hannes; Hartwig, Kerstin; Li, Qin; Vignali, Sheila; Ostertag, Daniela; Meng, Chen; Hörmannsperger, Gabriele; Braak, Breg (March 12, 2018). "Protease signaling through protease activated receptor 1 mediate nerve activation by mucosal supernatants from irritable bowel syndrome but not from ulcerative colitis patients". PLOS ONE. 13 (3): e0193943. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0193943. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5846775. PMID 29529042.