IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Causes and Symptoms

Introduction

It is not clear what causes IBS, although there are three main theories - food intolerance, post infectious IBS, and psychological factors.

Food intolerance

Firstly, a food intolerance can produce irritable bowel symptoms, but not every person with IBS will have food intolerances.

That said, for many people their IBS could be caused by a food intolerance, which begs the question - if it is a food intolerance, is it still IBS?

The thinking is simple. In some people IBS may be caused by an intolerance to a certain food, in much the same way as lactose or gluten intolerance. In fact it may well be a lactose or gluten intolerance causing the problems.

A food intolerance should not be confused with an allergy:

A food allergy is an immune system response. It occurs when the body mistakes something as harmful and creates antibodies to fight it. It is these antibodies which cause the symptoms.

Food intolerance is a digestive system response which occurs when the gut can not effectively process certain foods for some reason. For example: lactose intolerance is caused by a shortage of the enzyme lactase in the body which s used to break down the sugar in cows milk. Lactose intolerance often produces similar symptoms to IBS.

Post infectious IBS

Around 20% of people will have post infectious IBS, which comes on after a nasty bout of viral gastroenteritis. A large Spanish study showed that people who had gastroenteritis were twelve times more likely to develop IBS in that subsequent year than others.

The thinking is that the gastroenteritis has killed off all the established good bacteria which live in the gut and help protect the gut and maintain healthy functioning. With the good bacteria gone it leaves an opportunity for non-regular bacteria consumed in our food to get a foothold in the gut and cause the problems.

Psychological factors

Many people with IBS connect the start of their symptoms with a major traumatic event such as bereavement, redundancy, divorce etc.

In addition a very high percentage of people with IBS state that when experiencing IBS symptoms, day-to-day stressful or emotional incidents amplify the IBS symptoms, most notably pain and diarrhoea.

This suggests that there may be an emotional or psychological explanation for IBS in some people.

IBS Symptoms

Introduction

The main symptoms of IBS are: recurring abdominal pain and discomfort accompanied by diarrhoea, constipation or a combination of both, lasting for more than three months in a twelve month period. Many people also experience gas and bloating.

Some people will have short term symptoms, whilst others will have symptoms which last longer. Some people experience mild symptoms, and manage to get on with their life without visiting their GP, whilst others symptoms can be extreme and affect quality of life and require medical advice and treatment.

Here is breakdown of the main IBS symptoms:

Pain and discomfort

* IBS pain can be mild to extreme and occur in different parts of the gut. The pain is often described as stabbing, cramping or spasming.

* The pain may get worse before you need the toilet, and is often relieved to some degree after passing a motion.

* In addition to acute pain many people with IBS have a more constant feeling of discomfort in their gut, which is often described as a 'heavy' feeling.

Gas and bloating

* Many people with IBS experience gas, bloating, and extreme gurgling, and this is often one of the main causes of pain.

* It is not clear if some people with IBS produce more gas for some reason, or whether it is simply a sensitivity in the gut caused by IBS which causes pain when normal levels of gas build up.

Stools

* Depending whether you are experiencing constipation or diarrhoea, stools can range from small hard and pellet like right through to liquid diarrhoea.

* Some people with IBS have a feeling of not emptying their bowel after going to the toilet.

* Some people may have mucus mixed with the stools.

* Some people have an urgency to get to the toilet quickly with very little warning.

IBS is often broken down into three categories based on the predominant symptoms:

IBS-C: constipation being the main symptom

IBS-D: diarrhoea being the main symptom

IBS-A: alternating constipation and diarrhoea

Important note: blood in your stool is not a symptom of IBS. If you have any blood in your stool you must see your doctor immediately.