What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a recurring and chronic functional bowel disorder consisting of abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhoea, and constipation (Hungin et al., 2014). It affects the small and large intestines, causing these symptoms in the gut or bowel. It is a “syndrome” because it is a group of various symptoms that aggravate the gut; however, these symptoms may be expressed differently depending on the individual (Gucht, 2015). IBS is also considered a “gut-brain interaction” or disorder because the brain influences the gut, for instance, through stress and anxiety (Drossman, 2016).
IBS is usually diagnosed by using symptom-based criteria because there are no specific biological markers for the diagnosis (Hungin et al., 2014).
As there are no tests available in allopathic medicine that allow doctors to be absolutely positive about the diagnosis, the diagnosis is often given on a balance of probabilities, depending upon the type of symptoms, severity and any known factors that make them better or worse. For this reason It has recently been suggested by a group of experts that there are a set of symptoms that can be used to make a positive diagnosis of IBS, with a good degree of reliability, via the use of the “Rome criteria”.
In simple terms IBS can be diagnosed when a patient presents with symptoms which are either continuous or recurrent for at least three months and include abdominal pain or discomfort which is:
- relieved by defaecation
- and/or associated with a change in the frequency of stools
- and/or associated with a change in the consistency of stools plus two or more of the following, at least a quarter of occasions or days
- more than three stools per day or less than three per week
- altered stool form (lumpy/hard or loose/watery)
- altered stool passage (straining, urgency or feeling of incomplete evacuation)
- passage of mucus
- bloating or feeling of abdominal distension.
In other words, a doctor can be fairly certain of making a diagnosis of IBS if this pattern of symptoms is present, if there are no other major symptoms and if physical examination is normal. So, it is very important to see your GP in the first instance to discuss your symptoms and to be examined and to receive an official diagnosis.