Bowtrol What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common
ailments of the bowel (intestines) and affects an estimated 15%
of persons in the US. The term, irritable bowel, is not a
particularly good one since it implies that the bowel is
responding irritably to normal stimuli, and this may or may not
be the case. The several names for IBS, including spastic colon,
spastic colitis, and mucous colitis, attest to the difficulty of
getting a descriptive handle on the ailment. Moreover, each of
the other names is itself as problematic as the term IBS.
IBS is best described as a functional disease. The concept of
functional disease is particularly useful when discussing
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The concept applies to
the muscular organs of the gastrointestinal tract; the
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, gallbladder, and colon.
What is meant by the term, functional, is that either the
muscles of the organs or the nerves that control the organs are
not working normally, and, as a result, the organs do not
function normally. The nerves that control the organs include
not only the nerves that lie within the muscles of the organs
but also the nerves of the spinal cord and brain.
Some gastrointestinal diseases can be seen and diagnosed with
the naked eye, such as ulcers of the stomach. Thus, ulcers can
be seen at surgery, on x-rays, and at endoscopies. Other
diseases cannot be seen with the naked eye but can be seen and
diagnosed with the microscope. For example, celiac disease and
collagenous colitis are diagnosed by microscopic examination of
biopsies of the small bowel and colon, respectively. In
contrast, gastrointestinal functional diseases cannot be seen
with the naked eye or with the microscope. In some instances,
the abnormal function can be demonstrated by tests, for example,
gastric emptying studies or antro-duodenal motility studies.
However, these tests often are complex, are not widely
available, and do not reliably detect the functional
abnormalities. Accordingly, by default, functional
gastrointestinal diseases are those involving the abnormal
function of gastrointestinal organs in which abnormalities
cannot be seen in the organs with either the naked eye or the
microscope..
Occasionally, diseases that are thought
to be functional are ultimately found to be associated with
abnormalities that can be seen. Then, the disease moves out of
the functional category. An example of this would be
Helicobacter pylori infection of the stomach. Many patients with
mild upper intestinal symptoms who were thought to have abnormal
function of the stomach or intestines have been found to have an
infection of the stomach with Helicobacter pylori. This
infection can be diagnosed by seeing the bacterium and the
inflammation (gastritis) it causes under the microscope . When
the patients are treated with antibiotics, the Helicobacter,
gastritis, and symptoms disappear. Thus, recognition of
Helicobacter pylori infection removed some patients' diseases
from the functional category.
The distinction between functional disease and non-functional
disease may, in fact, be blurry. Thus, even functional diseases
probably have associated biochemical or molecular abnormalities
that ultimately will be able to be measured. For example,
functional diseases of the stomach and intestines may be shown
ultimately to be caused by reduced levels of normal chemicals
within the gastrointestinal organs, the spinal cord, or the
brain. Should a disease that is demonstrated to be due to a
reduced chemical still be considered a functional disease? I
think not. In this theoretical situation, we can't see the
abnormality with the naked eye or the microscope, but we can
measure it. If we can measure an associated or causative
abnormality, the disease probably should no longer be considered
functional.
Despite the shortcomings of the term, functional, the concept of
a functional abnormality is useful for approaching many of the
symptoms originating from the muscular organs of the
gastrointestinal tract. This concept applies particularly to
those symptoms for which there are no associated abnormalities
that can be seen with the naked eye or the microscope.
While IBS is a major functional disease, it is important to
mention a second major functional disease referred to as
dyspepsia, or functional dyspepsia. The symptoms of dyspepsia
are thought to originate from the upper gastrointestinal tract;
the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small
intestine. The symptoms include upper abdominal discomfort,
bloating (the subjective sense of abdominal fullness without
objective distension), or objective distension (swelling, or
enlargement). The symptoms may or may not be related to meals.
There may be nausea with or without vomiting and early satiety
(a sense of fullness after eating only a small amount of food).
The study of functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
often is categorized by the organ of involvement. Thus, there
are functional disorders of the esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, colon, and gallbladder. The amount of research on
functional disorders has been focused mostly on the esophagus
and stomach (such as dyspepsia), perhaps because these organs
are easiest to reach and study. Research into functional
disorders affecting the small intestine and colon (for example,
IBS) is more difficult to conduct and there is less agreement
among the research studies. This probably is a reflection of the
complexity of the activities of the small intestine and colon
and the difficulty in studying these activities. Functional
diseases of the gallbladder, like those of the small intestine
and colon, also are more difficult to study.
Most individuals are surprised to learn they are not alone with
symptoms of IBS. In fact, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects
approximately 10-20% of the general population. It is the most
common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists (doctors who
specialize in medical treatment of disorders of the stomach and
intestines) and one of the most common disorders seen by primary
care physicians.
Sometimes irritable bowel syndrome is referred to as spastic
colon, mucous colitis, spastic colitis, nervous stomach, or
irritable colon.
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is generally classified as a
"functional" disorder. A functional disorder refers to a
disorder or disease where the primary abnormality is an altered
physiological function (the way the body works), rather than an
identifiable structural or biochemical cause. It characterizes a
disorder that generally can not be diagnosed in a traditional
way; that is, as an inflammatory, infectious, or structural
abnormality that can be seen by commonly used examination,
x-ray, or blood test.
Irritable bowel syndrome is understood as a multi-faceted
disorder. In people with IBS, symptoms result from what appears
to be a disturbance in the interaction between the gut or
intestines, the brain, and the autonomic nervous system that
alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function) or sensory
function.
Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms
in which abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with a
change in bowel pattern, such as loose or more frequent bowel
movements, diarrhea, and/or constipation.
Treatment options are available to manage IBS—whether symptoms
are mild, moderate, or severe.
For more information visit:
Bowcontrol
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