IBS.
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 IBS patients and also from day to day. Jeffrey Roberts, president of the IBS Self Help and Support Group, says, “IBS is an illness which seems to strike people down.”
Irritable Bowel Syndrome 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 with bowel movement, and associated with a change in the frequency of bowel movement and appearance of the stools.
Stressful situations and certain foods can trigger symptoms or cause a flare up of IBS. Experts are still uncertain as to what exactly Irritable Bowel syndrome is or what causes it. What we knowat present is 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. If during investigation an abnormality is found, then the diagnosis in no longer IBS.
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, if you have bleeding from the rectum, loss of appetite, weight loss, anaemia or symptoms developing after fifty years of age, you should see your doctor very soon because you will need addition investigation.
Some IBS sufferers are made to feel that their illness is “All in the head.” This is not true but the brain and symptom development are linked and experts think that Brain-Gut connection is very important. IBS and Serotonin are linked. Low blood levels are found in Constipation predominant IBS and high levels are present in Diarrhoea predominant IBS.
We know that 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 20% of the global population has or had IBS at some time in their lives.
To come to terms with IBS is difficult for patients especially when they are told the true cause is unknown, no single medication 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 is often due to eating 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. It is important that you do not avoid foods. You need important nutrients to remain healthy.
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