Functional gastrointestinal disorders are very much common and are explained by the absence of any organ pathology. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder which is associated with abdominal pain commonly with a change in bowel habit.About 20% of the general population have the criteria of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) but only 10% of these consult their doctors because of symptoms. Young women are affected 2-3 times more often than men.
What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Psychosocial factors: Anxiety, depression, neurosis, panic attacks are common. Psychological stress & overt psychiatric disease are known to alter visceral perception and gastrointestinal motility in both irritable bowel patients and healthy people.
Altered gastrointestinal motility: Patients with diarrhoea as a predominant symptom have group of rapid bowel contraction & rapid bowel transit. Constipated patients have decreased bowel transit and less number of contraction waves.
Altered bowel sensation: More common in women and in diarrhoea-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Other luminal factors: Intolerance to specific dietary products like lactose (lactose intolerance) and wheat.
Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal bloating
- Abdominal distension
- Passage of mucus during defecation
- Feeling of incomplete defecation
- Change in bowel habit (diarrhoea and constipation)
Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
- Elimination of intolerable diets are helpful in 20% patients. Patients should avoid lactose, wheat or any diet which they cannot tolerate.
- Antidiarrheal Agents
- Antispasmodics
- Stool-Bulking Agents
- Antiflatulence Therapy
- If diet restriction does not work then patients can benefit from several months of therapy with antidepressants.
- Psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation and gut-directed hypnotherapy are reserved for the most difficult cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
