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Give Us 72 Hours and You Can
Say Goodbye
to the Humiliation and Inconvenience
of Chronic Diarrhea, Constipation
and IBS! Never Schedule Your Day
Around the Toilet Again.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is
a disorder of the large intestine
characterized by some combination
of: (1) abdominal pain (2) altered
bowel function, constipation, or
diarrhea (3) hypersecretion of
colonic mucus (4) dyspeptic symptoms
(flatulence, nausea, anorexia), and
(5) varying degrees of anxiety or
depression. IBS has been referred to
in the past as nervous indigestion,
spastic colitis, mucous colitis, and
intestinal neurosis.
Q How common is IBS?
A Determining the true
frequency is virtually impossible as
many sufferers never seek medical
attention. It has, however, been
estimated that approximately 15% of
the population has complaints of
IBS, with women predominating two to
one (it is likely that an equal
number of males have IBS since they
do not report symptoms as often).
IBS is the most common
gastrointestinal disorder and
represents 30%-50% of all referrals
to gastroenterologists.
Q How is IBS diagnosed?
A The diagnosis of IBS is
often a diagnosis of exclusion by
ruling out any of a number of
conditions which can mimic IBS (see
Table 1). If you have symptoms
suggestive of IBS, please consult a
physician for an accurate diagnosis.
The physician will decide just how
extensive the diagnostic process
will be. A detailed medical history
and physical examination has been
shown to eliminate much of the
vagueness involved in diagnosing
IBS-3 Abdominal distention
(bloating), relief of pain with
bowel movements, and the onset of
loose or more frequent bowel
movements with pain seem to
correlate best with the diagnosis of
IBS.
Conditions which may mimic IBS
Response to dietary factors which
interfere with some aspect of
digestion such as excessive
consumption of tea, coffee,
carbonated beverages, and simple
sugars, include:
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Diverticular disease |
Inflammatory bowel
disease |
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Laxative abuse
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Lactose intolerance
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Intestinal candidiasis |
Disturbed bacterial
microflora as a result
of antibiotic or antacid
usage |
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Malabsorption diseases
such as pancreatic
insufficiency and celiac
disease |
Metabolic disorders such
as adrenal
insufficiency, diabetes,
and hyperthyroidism
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Mechanical causes such
as fecal impaction
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Infectious diarrhea
such as amebiasis and
giardiasis |
|
Cancer |
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