Abdominal pain, bloating, and irregular bowel habits are symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition of the gut-brain axis. It can endure for years and have a detrimental effect on quality of life, resulting in missed chances for work or education, low productivity, and a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

IBS is characterized by diarrhea, constipation, or discomfort, with a mixed or alternating pattern of stools. An infectious illness can start out of the blue and occasionally be accompanied by symptoms like fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or a positive stool culture.

Constant abdominal pain, recurrent constipation or diarrhea, and changes in bowel patterns are the hallmarks of IBS. Although recurring episodes are frequent, the symptoms often go away in a day. Bloating, inadequate evacuation, and urgent bowel movements are some more potential symptoms. Sometimes symptoms can be lessened by having bowel movements.

IBS patients typically have GERD, symptoms of the genitourinary system, fibromyalgia, headaches, backaches, depression, and sexual dysfunction, with around a third citing low libido. These signs are more frequent than other types.

IBS can be brought on by a wide range of reasons, such as problems with the gut-brain axis, modifications in gut motility, visceral hypersensitivity, infections, imbalanced neurotransmitter levels, hereditary factors, and dietary sensitivities. It may begin as a result of infections or stressful living circumstances.

Microscopic colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, bile acid malabsorption, celiac disease and colon cancer are additional disorders similar to IBS. Only after ruling out these and other possible conditions, a diagnosis of IBS can be made on the basis of symptoms devoid of alarming characteristics. Symptoms that start after age 50, weight loss, blood in the stool, and a family history of inflammatory bowel disease are all cause for concern.

Probiotics, medication, dietary changes, and counseling are all used in the treatment of IBS to lessen symptoms. It is advised to increase soluble fiber intake and switch to a low-FODMAP diet for short to medium term use. Laxatives are used for constipation, while medication is used for diarrhea. This treatment should only be applied briefly; it is not meant to be used continually over time.

Clinical study evidence supports the use of antidepressants even in those who do not also have concurrent mood disorders, usually in lower doses. SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants can lessen and improve symptoms. Effective patient care requires both patient education and a positive doctor-patient interaction.

In wealthy nations, IBS affects 10% to 15% of the population, with prevalence estimates depending by area and criterion. In South America and Southeast Asia, cases make up an estimated 11.2% of all cases. Women are twice as likely as men to contract it before the age of 45 in the West. Despite lower rates, East Asian women are not more likely to have IBS than their male counterparts.

Men from South America, South Asia, and Africa are more likely than women to have irritable bowel syndrome, and as people age, this incidence decreases, or at least that’s the case for these world areas. Though, overall, IBS doesn’t cause more severe ailments or shorten life expectancy.

As a fun fact: although the illness was first reported in 1820, the present name wasn’t coined until 1944.

The gut-brain axis may be impacted by irritable bowel syndrome, which is more common in obese patients and features symptoms including stomach pain that could be caused by an allergic reaction.

Following an acute gastrointestinal disease, the incidence of IBS rises sixfold, and post-infection risk factors for the condition include being of a younger age, extended fever, anxiety, and melancholy. Psychological disorders like anxiety or depression can exacerbate symptoms and reduce quality of life. IBS risk is also increased by the use of antibiotics. The likelihood of developing post-infectious and other kinds of IBS is further increased by genetic flaws in innate immunity and epithelial homeostasis.

The brain-gut axis has been used to relate the genesis of IBS to physical and mental abuse experienced as a kid, and in those who are predisposed, mental stress might cause IBS. High levels of anxiety in IBS patients and overlap with illnesses like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome suggest that the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are malfunctioning as well as a disturbance of the stress system. In two-thirds of instances, psychological illness or anxiety come before IBS symptoms, and persons who were previously healthy are more likely to get it following gastroenteritis.

Having previously suffered some form of gastroenteritis infection can also be a risk factor, since small intestine bacterial overgrowth and tropical sprue have both been proposed as potential causes of post-infectious IBS. Also, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is more common in people with IBS compared to healthy controls. Also, There’s evidence that dysbiosis is connected to alterations in the gut microbiota.

Next Chapter: Ikenna Ike- Are GM foods the solution to world hunger?