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What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Posted: April 1, 2006

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a problem that affects mainly the bowel, which is also called the large intestine. The bowel is the part of the digestive system that makes and stores stool. The word syndrome means a group of symptoms. IBS is a syndrome because it can cause several symptoms. For example, IBS causes cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation.

IBS is a functional disorder, which means that the bowel doesn't work as it should. With IBS, the nerves and muscles in the bowel are extra-sensitive. For example, the muscles may contract too much when you eat. These contractions can cause cramping and diarrhea during or shortly after a meal.

Or the nerves can be overly sensitive to the stretching of the bowel (because of gas, for example). Cramping or pain can result, however, IBS does not damage the bowel or cause any other diseases.

Foods that tend to cause symptoms include milk products, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, carbonated drinks, and fatty foods. In some cases, simply eating a large meal will trigger symptoms. Women with IBS often have more symptoms during their menstrual periods.

Stress and IBS symptoms
Emotional stress will not cause a person to develop IBS. But if you already have IBS, stress can trigger symptoms. In fact, the bowel can overreact to all sorts of things, including food, exercise, and hormones.

The main symptoms of IBS are crampy pain in the stomach area and painful diarrhea or constipation. (Most people have either diarrhea or constipation, but some people have both.)

Other symptoms are mucus in the stool, swollen or bloated abdomen and the feeling that you have not finished a bowel movement.

Certain symptoms, like unexplained weight loss or rectal bleeding, are not typical of IBS and signal the need for additional tests to identify other conditions. Remember that IBS is common and people may sometimes have another coexisting disorder that is not responsible for their IBS symptoms. Doctors can help sort this out.

Treating IBS
IBS has no cure, but you can do things to relieve symptoms. Treatment may involve:

• Diet changes
• Medicine
• Stress relief

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