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When Are Bowel Symptoms A Sign Of IBS? A Personal Look at Bowel Problems

Digestive Health

Bowel Symptoms and Bloating: Could it Be IBS?

Summary & Participants

Many people suffer from digestive problems that don't go away. Sometimes the problem is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This syndrome is marked by abdominal discomfort, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or alternating diarrhea and constipation. Although doctors don't know exactly what causes IBS, they have learned a great deal about the wide range of symptoms experienced by people with IBS.

Medically Reviewed On: May 09, 2008

Webcast Transcript

BRIAN LACY, MD: Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disorder that affects the nervous system to the gut. It's incredibly common; it affects approximately one in five adult Americans.

SUSAN LUCAK, MD: It is a disorder that's characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, associated with bowel irregularities, such as diarrhea or constipation or alternating constipation with diarrhea in the same patient.

LIN CHANG, MD: Other common symptoms are bloating, sensation of incomplete evacuation -- the patient never feels like they evacuate their stool completely -- urgency, particularly in patients with diarrhea, and sometimes mucus in the stool.

SUSAN LUCAK, MD: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome have various severities. Approximately 70 percent of patients with irritable bowel syndrome will have mild symptoms. Approximately 25 percent of patients have more moderate symptoms; that is, they have symptoms that may interfere with their functioning. And approximately 5 percent have very severe symptoms where they may be disabled.

ANNOUNCER: For many people, IBS brings pain and discomfort. For some, it can be extremely disabling.

LIN CHANG, MD: They have difficulty getting up in the morning and going to work because they're having pain, or they have to use the bathroom multiple times. And that's not only with patients with diarrhea, but it's also patients with constipation, where they feel like they need to evacuate. They can't leave their house. Or they're at work and they have to rush and find a bathroom. And specifically in patients with severe diarrhea, they have to worry about incontinence or losing control of their stool, which can be one of the most humiliating and embarrassing experiences.

ANNOUNCER: A majority of people with IBS are women, although the reason why is unknown.

SUSAN LUCAK, MD: Generally, irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder of young women. The onset is generally in their 20s and 30s and it tends to persist in an intermittent way throughout life. And it seems that around the age of 59 or 60, studies have shown that there is a diminution of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

ANNOUNCER: Research has shed light on factors that may contribute to the development of IBS.

BRIAN LACY, MD: Several good studies over the last few years have shown that there may be a genetic predisposition to develop irritable bowel syndrome.

However, most of us in the field also believe that that's not enough. That there probably has to be a second insult or a second injury that may then trigger the irritable bowel syndrome or bring it to the forefront.

ANNOUNCER: Research has also shown an association between prior infections and IBS.

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