Click here to see an updated and expanded article. Just search for Nursing Times on your Apple or Android device and log in using the same details you use on the website. There are different types of IBS, depending on your main symptom. However, some of these names misrepresent the condition. The symptoms of IBS can fluctuate. There may be times when your symptoms are particularly troublesome and times when you experience no symptoms at all. The exact causes of IBS are unknown.
IBS is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions. IBS is twice as common in women as it is in men. The condition normally develops in people who are between 20 and 30 years of age, but it can affect people of any age.
While there is no cure for IBS, the symptoms can be controlled with lifestyle changes and medicine. The symptoms of IBS are usually worse after eating. For reasons that are not completely understood, IBS can also cause symptoms in other parts of your body, as well as in your bowel. These symptoms include:. Due to the pain, discomfort and embarrassment that are sometimes associated with IBS, some people also experience feelings of anxiety and depression. The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome IBS is unknown.
However, most experts believe that it may be caused by a number of interrelated factors. Possible factors include:. If you have the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome IBS , your GP will usually recommend that you undergo a blood test in order that other conditions that cause similar symptoms, such as infection, or Coeliac disease a stomach condition caused by gluten intolerance can be ruled out.
Your GP will ask you whether you have had any of the following symptoms that have lasted for at least six months:. These are either:. Further testing is usually only required when you have specific symptoms, or signs, that suggest that you may have a more serious condition than IBS.
Further testing may also be recommended if you have a family history of bowel, or ovarian, cancer, or if you are over 60 years of age and you have experienced a change in your bowel habits that has lasted more than six weeks. In particular, people with IBS are no more likely than anyone else to develop bowel cancer. Making changes to your diet can help to control the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome IBS. Different individuals will respond better to individually tailored diets.
Keeping a food diary and making a note of whether certain foods make the condition better, or worse, may be helpful. People with IBS are often advised to modify the amount of fibre in their diet.
For some people, this will be a case of reducing the amount of insoluble fibre the type that make stools bulkier and soft in their diet.
This may mean reducing your consumption of wholemeal bread, cereals, and whole grains, such as brown rice. Other people with IBS may need additional fibre in their diet, usually soluble fibre. This may mean taking a fibre supplement, or eating more foods that are high in soluble fibre, such as oats. Your GP will be able to advise you about what your recommended fibre intake should be. The dietary advice listed below may also help you to control your symptoms of IBS.
Do not undertake a single food avoidance and exclusion diet a diet where you avoid a class of food, such as dairy products, or red meat unless you are under the supervision of a dietician. Exercise can help to relieve the symptoms of most but not all people with IBS. However, regular exercise has many associated health benefits and should form part of your daily and weekly routine regardless of whether you have IBS or not. Your GP will be able to advise you about whether exercise is suitable for you.
If exercise is suitable for you, you should aim to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, at least five times a week. The exercise should be strenuous enough to increase both your heart rate and breathing rate. Walking briskly and walking up a hill are both examples of vigorous exercise. Some people find that taking probiotics help to relieve the symptoms of IBS. You will need to take probiotics for at least four weeks to see if they have a beneficial effect.
The use of prebiotics - dietary supplements that encourage the growth of certain types of bacteria in the intestine - is not recommended as a treatment for IBS. Taking steps to reduce the levels of stress in your life may hep to reduce the frequency and severity of your IBS symptoms.
If you are finding that stress is a problem in your life, you may benefit from a talking therapy, such as stress counselling, or cognitive behaviour therapy CBT.
See below for more information about CBT. There is also a medicine called Kolanticon, which contains an antispasmodic drug and three other ingredients. The other ingredients are simeticone, which relieves trapped wind, and two different antacids, which reduce stomach acid and treat heartburn. Kolanticon is available from your pharmacy without prescription. Antispasmodic medicines work by helping to relax the muscles in your digestive system. Examples of antispasmodic medicines include mebeverine and therapeutic peppermint oil.
Side effects of antispasmodic medicines are uncommon. However, people taking peppermint oil can sometimes experience occasional heartburn and irritation on the area of skin around their anus back passage.
The type of laxative known as a bulk-forming laxative is usually recommended for people who are experiencing IBS-related constipation. Bulk-forming laxatives work by making your stools denser and softer, which means that they should be easier to pass.
It is important to drink plenty of fluids when using a bulk-forming laxative because this will prevent the laxative causing an obstruction in your digestive system.
You should start on a low dose, and if necessary increase it every few days until one or two soft, formed stools are produced every one or two days. You should not take a bulk-forming laxative immediately before going to bed.
Side effects of taking laxatives can include bloating and flatulence wind. However, side effects can usually be avoided or reduced by gradually increasing the dose. The antimotility medicine known as loperamide is usually recommended for the treatment of IBS-related diarrhoea.
Loperamide works by slowing the contractions of the muscles in the intestines which, in turn, slows how fast food passes through your digestive system. This allows more time for your stools faeces to harden and solidify. Tricyclic antidepressants TCAs are usually recommended if antispasmodic medicines have failed to control your symptoms of abdominal pain and cramping. TCAs work by relaxing the muscles in your digestive system. IBS flare-up duration is most typically from 2 to 4 days.
After that, the symptoms can reduce or disappear completely. These factors aggravate the disease, cause or worsen the flare-ups, and make the disease difficult to deal with. Let's take a quick look at the most common of those factors. Some researchers find that psychological factors seem to trigger the flare-ups and regulate the severity of the IBS, response to medical treatment, and persistence of the syndrome.
In fact, there are 23 unique psychological factors that are might be associated with IBS symptoms. The most common factors are:. Exactly how long do IBS flare-ups last can sometimes depend on psychological distress and the patient's ability to cope with stress and pain. Being under a high amount of psychological distress and frustration can make IBS symptoms worse or more difficult to manage.
Certain temperaments and personalities make us more vulnerable to stress, and this type of vulnerability can unfortunately aggravate IBS. Consistent stress can make it more difficult to deal with the syndrome but more on that below The symptoms of IBS can become worse and wane with stress.
Daily stress sometimes plays a huge role in this health problem. Based on the same research looking at animal models stress puts a strain on the functions between the gut and the brain, which possibly aggravates the IBS.
Aside from stress, other factors affect how long does IBS last, or cause sudden flare-ups. They are:. Of course, these are not all the factors. They are only some of the most common ones. Malabsorption of sugars sorbitol, fructose, and lactose , can make the IBS worse. Rather than being the root of the problem, they aggravate the IBS. People with fast transit times, medium, or short-chain fatty acids have a problem with diarrhea. The EGC also play a major role. They can affect IBS and often cause other problems like acute gastroenteritis.
Inflammation can affect the intestines, which will make IBS more painful. Finally, menstrual cycles affect gut motility and sensation. When there are warning signs and symptoms of a more severe IBS condition, such as:. IBS is thought to affect up to 1 in 5 people at some point in their life. It can affect people of all ages, but it often occurs in those between 20 to 30 years of age. Statistically, it affects more women than men. At the moment, more studies are being conducted on the connection between IBS and environmental factors, specifically, whether sudden environmental changes make us more vulnerable to this condition.
First, what are the symptoms of IBS? It is also common to have underlying psychological symptoms , like anxious or depressed feelings , with the GI symptoms. A person may have symptoms that they think are IBS, but they may mean something more serious. Symptoms, like those described for IBS above , with any of the following, may mean there is a serious problem: low iron in the blood anemia , blood in the stool, weight loss, a fever, a family history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease IBD , or symptoms that started after age The person should contact their doctor for an appointment.
Many doctors find it challenging to diagnose IBS. This is partly because of the characteristics of the condition:. Symptoms often change over time - this may be from day-to-day or they may get better for a while and then get worse. Symptoms are similar to other GI disorders. This also makes it hard to diagnose.
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