Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a condition that affects nearly 20% of Americans. People with a mild case of IBS can experience anxiety and digestive discomfort. For those with severe cases, IBS can cause life changes including severely limiting activities and inability to hold a job due to anxiety over the condition.

There is a misconception by many people that irritable bowel syndrome is synonymous with diarrhea. While some people with IBS experience frequent bouts of diarrhea, this is not the only symptom of IBS. This disorder is often accompanied by other problematic issues like pain and discomfort in the abdomen, retention of water, and changes in bowel movements. Those changes can come in either the form of constipation or diarrhea. The severity of a patient’s symptoms dictates how much their lives are affected. From missing school, work, or staying at home for fear of IBS episodes, it is easy to see why IBS is such a serious disorder for the patients it affects.

Three types of IBS

IBS-C (IBS with constipation): The significant symptom of IBS-C is constipation. They also suffer from other symptoms related to constipation such as: bloating, distension, abdominal pain, or a sense of incomplete emptying. Patients usually experience these symptoms at least3 months a year. This is different from chronic constipation in that there is no discernable cause.
IBS-D (IBS with diarrhea): People with IBS-D suffer from diarrhea, usually along with gas and cramps. Many people with IBS-D find that certain foods seem to cause these symptoms. Others have discovered that becoming anxious or upset can start an IBS episode. Depending on how severe their IBS is patients can truly be devastated by this type of the disorder. IBS-D is more common in men than women.
IBS-A (alternating): People that have IBS-A do not have regular symptoms. A person with IBS-A may experience bloating and constipation one day and on the next day will have cramps and diarrhea.

In some individuals, IBS may have an acute onset and develop after an infectious illness characterized by two or more of the following: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or positive stool culture. This post-infective syndrome has consequently been termed “post-infectious IBS” (IBS-PI).

If you are exhibiting any of the symptoms of IBS, it is important to seek medical attention for proper diagnosis. A doctor can’t immediately diagnose IBS since there is no laboratory or imaging test that can be performed to identify IBS. However, the American Gastroenterological Association has established guidelines for eliminating other causes of the symptoms. These tests are:

History and physical examination
Diagnostic testing
1. CBC
2. Chemistry panel
3. Sedimentation rate
4. Stool for O & P
5. Stool for occult blood
6. Flexible sigmoidoscopy
7. IF > 50, colonoscopy or barium enema and sigmoidoscopy
8. For diarrhea predominant:
  1. Small bowel radiograph
  2. Lactose/dextrose H2 breathing test
9. For constipation predominant:
  1. Fiber trial
10. For pain predominant:
  1. Plain film of abdomen

If you are experiencing these symptoms you should talk to your doctor to determine the cause. You can then talk to your doctor about ways you can take control of IBS so it doesn’t control your life.

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