Irritable Bowl Syndrome 

If you're suffering from tummy troubles like bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhea, you might be suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It's a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that affects one in 10 Americans.

IBS can be triggered by stress, diet, and other factors in your life. However, most people with IBS have no known cause.

Symptoms

Irritable bowl syndrome is a common digestive disorder that causes abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits. These symptoms may include cramping, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation.

Doctors don't know why people with IBS have these symptoms. But they think it might be related to how the signals between your gut and brain work.

This could cause the nerves in your intestine to be more sensitive than usual and trigger contractions that can lead to abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea.

Treatment for IBS is aimed at finding ways to help relieve the symptoms. It can include diet, medicine, and stress relief. For some people, behavioural and psychological therapies can also be helpful. These therapies can help you identify the things in your life that might be triggering your symptoms. They also teach you to understand how your feelings and behaviour can affect the way your body works. These techniques are particularly effective if your IBS is triggered by anxiety or stress.

Diagnosis

Irritable bowel syndrome is a condition that causes abdominal pain, bloating, changes in bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea) and other symptoms. IBS is part of a group of disorders called functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders that involve problems in how the digestive tract and brain interact.

The condition is diagnosed based on your medical history and physical exam. Your doctor will look for signs that you have irritable bowel syndrome.

Your doctor will also ask you about your family history of GI problems. He or she may recommend tests to make sure there's nothing else causing your symptoms.

IBS can be diagnosed if your belly pain or discomfort is accompanied by other symptoms like changes in your bowel habits and stool texture. This is called the Rome criteria.

Treatment

Treatment for irritable bowel syndrome focuses on alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life. It includes lifestyle changes, medications, probiotics, and mental health therapies.

Some medications treat pain, cramping, and diarrhea. Antispasmodics, such as metoclopramide (Reglan), dicyclomine (Bentyl), and hyoscyamine (Levsin) may decrease abdominal pain.

Contemporary antidepressants, especially tricyclics and duloxetine, are beneficial in irritable bowel syndrome. However, they have side effects that may be problematic for some patients.

Peripherally acting agents such as loperamide, which blocks the bile acid receptors and prevents increased bile acid secretion, are effective in irritable bowel syndrome. Other peripherally acting agents include prucalopride, which stimulates intestinal chloride secretion.

Centrally acting drugs are also recommended for irritable bowel syndrome, and are indicated when the patient has severe symptoms or high nongastrointestinal symptoms and comorbid psychiatric disorders. Linaclotide, a guanylate cyclase C agonist, is also approved for irritable bowel syndrome. Lastly, alosetron is an antagonist of brain serotonin synthesis that has shown promise in reducing gastrointestinal symptoms. It is recommended that you use incontinence underwear to avoid any leakage.

Prevention

The symptoms of Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS) tend to occur infrequently and are often treated with diet, lifestyle changes and counseling. For more severe cases, medications may be recommended.

Doctors use a variety of tests to diagnose IBS. These include a physical exam and a medical history.

Researchers aren't sure what causes IBS, but they do believe it's a combination of problems. These include muscle contraction or "motility" disturbance and increased sensitivity of nerves in the digestive tract.

Women are more likely to develop IBS than men, and it's especially common in younger people. It's thought that female sex hormones may trigger the symptoms, although some experts aren't sure why this is.

Taking probiotics can help alleviate IBS symptoms. These are usually freeze-dried colonies of bacteria that you sprinkle on food or swallow as capsules.