Painful, embarrassing, inconvenient. Just three descriptions of Irritable Bowel Syndrome that will ring a bell with those 1 in 5 of us who will develop symptoms of the disorder at some time in our lives.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common 'functional' disorder of the bowels. A functional disorder can best be described as a problem with the function of a particular part of the body, but with no abnormality found in the structure. So, in IBS, the function of the gut is upset, but all parts look normal, even under a microscope.
IBS can affect anyone at any age, but it commonly first develops in young adults and teenagers and is more common in women than men.
Features of IBS will often be pain and discomfort in different parts of the abdomen. Which 'comes and goes'. The duration of each bout of pain can vary. The pain often eases after passing stools or wind. Many people with IBS describe the pain as 'spasm like ' or 'colicky'. The severity of the pain can vary from mild to severe, both from person to person, and in the same person. Bloating, swelling, constipation diarrhoea and excessive wind are also common.
Varying from occasional and mild to longer duration more unpleasant symptoms, many people fall somewhere in between, with flare-ups of symptoms from time to time. It is important to say at this point that passing blood is not a symptom of IBS. You should tell a doctor if you pass blood as this could indicate something more serious.
There is no test that confirms the diagnosis of IBS. A doctor will diagnose IBS from the typical symptoms. However, some tests are done in some cases to rule out other conditions such as ulcers, colitis, gut infections, etc
The cause of IBS is not clear. It may have something to do with over activity of parts of the gut, which may have something to do with over activity of messages sent from the brain to the gut. Stress or emotional upset may play a role. About half of people with IBS can relate the start of symptoms to a stressful event in their life. Symptoms tend to become worse during times of stress or anxiety. Food intolerance may play a part in some cases. However, this is thought to represent only a small number of cases. IBS is not caused by an ongoing infection. However, in about 1 in 6 cases, the first symptoms have followed a bout of gastroenteritis.
Many people are reassured that their condition is IBS, and not something more serious such as colitis. Simply understanding IBS may make you less anxious about the condition, which in itself may ease the symptoms and in fact symptoms often settle for long periods without any treatment.

Some people with IBS find that one or more foods can trigger symptoms, or make symptoms worse ('food intolerance or sensitivity'). Food intolerance is more common in people with IBS who have diarrhoea as a main symptom. If you are not sure if a food is causing symptoms, it may be worth trying a bland diet if symptoms are difficult to control. (Ideally, this is best done under the supervision of a dietician.) The foods that are most commonly reported to cause IBS symptoms in the UK are: wheat (in bread and cereals), rye, barley, dairy products, coffee (and other caffeine-rich drinks such as tea and cola), and onions.
Some people report an improvement in symptoms when they cut down alcohol consumption, or stop smoking. Regular exercise may also help to ease symptoms. Stress and other emotional factors may trigger symptoms in some people. In most people with IBS, the condition tends to persist long-term. However, the severity of symptoms tends to come and go and there may be long spells without any or with only mild symptoms. Treatment can often help to ease symptoms when they flare-up. In a minority of cases, at some point, symptoms go for good.
IBS does not shorten your life span; it does not lead to cancer of the bowel or blockages or other serious conditions.
None of us like to see the doctor about embarrassing ailments, and hopefully this article has made things a bit clearer. But if you think that you might have IBS and would like help with your symptoms, don’t forget; doctors have seen it all before!

This is a very difficult problem and a nightmare for people who suffer from it. One thing I would say is that you should get yourself checked out as it is sometimes easy for the set of symptoms and complaints that indicate IBS to actually be due to something else. I read recently about a girl who had ulcerative colitis, a nasty disease of the colon where ulcers and disease make the bowel virtually unusable and also causes a lot of pain and suffering. She eventually had to have a length of bowel removed with an external pouch to collect waste, and she was only 21! She had initially been diagnosed with IBS. So if you have been given a diagnosis of IBS ask questions and make sure that there is nothing else going on.

Hello nice thread good information mate. I am agree with saffy. This is one of serious problem suffering by people these days.

Quite right Alenjacks and the trouble is that a lot of people are embarrassed to ask for help, anything below the waist seems to have that effect. It is of course, vitally important that this condition id diagnosed, one because you can get the right treatment and two because other more serious complaints need to be ruled out.

I think it is high time we got over our embarrassment with these things! God knows how many lives would be saved if people went right away with complaints instead of feeling shy to see the doctor.

We need to have a proper bowel movement in order to stay fresh and work efficiently the whole day. Constipation also known by the name of costiveness, dyschezia and dyssynergic defecation refers to the problems of hard to pass or infrequent bowel movements.Constipation can be easily cured by laxatives but regular use of laxatives is discouraged. It is advised to go for natural constipation remedies than excessive use of medications or laxatives. A glass of warm milk in morning can be the most affordable and easily available laxative.