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Introduction:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common digestive disorder that can significantly affect your daily life. While the exact cause of IBS remains a mystery, it’s essential to comprehend the factors that contribute to its development. In this article, we’ll break down the possible causes of IBS in a way that’s easy to understand for you.

The Role of Gut Activity:

IBS is closely linked to how your gut (bowel) functions. Your bowel moves food along its path through regular muscle contractions. When these contractions become abnormal or overactive, it can lead to pain and other troublesome symptoms. The specific location of this overactivity in your gut determines where you experience pain and whether you suffer from constipation or diarrhoea.

Possible Causes of Gut Overactivity:

1. Nervous and Muscular Factors: The reasons behind this gut overactivity aren’t entirely clear. It may involve heightened signals sent from your nervous system to your gut. Stress and emotional upheaval may contribute, as about half of people with IBS can link the onset of their symptoms to stressful events. Symptoms often worsen during periods of stress, depression, and anxiety.
2. Food Intolerance: In some cases, intolerance to certain foods may play a role, though this is relatively rare.
3. Infections and Gut Bacteria: IBS isn’t caused by ongoing gut infections, but some individuals develop symptoms after a bout of gastroenteritis, which is a gut infection with diarrhea and vomiting. This suggests that a virus or germ may sensitize or trigger the gut to cause persistent IBS symptoms.
4. Pain Sensitivity: People with IBS tend to experience more pain when their gut is stretched compared to those without IBS. They may have a lower pain threshold for gut-related discomfort.
5. The Gut-Brain Connection: Recent research has explored the connection between the gut microbiome (the collection of bacteria and viruses in the gut), the brain, and IBS. This link, known as the ‘gut-brain axis,’ has led to the use of psychological therapies in IBS treatment.

Symptoms of IBS: The symptoms of IBS vary from person to person and can include:

• Pain and Discomfort: This pain can occur anywhere in your abdomen and often feels like spasms or colic. It tends to ease when you pass stools or gas.
• Bloating: Your abdomen may swell and become bloated from time to time, and you might pass more gas than usual.
• Changes in Stools: Some people experience diarrhea, others have constipation, and some have a combination of both. Stools may become small and pellet-like or watery, and mucus may sometimes be present.
• Urgency: You may feel an urgent need to use the toilet shortly after waking up.
• Other Symptoms: Nausea, headaches, belching, poor appetite, tiredness, heartburn, and even bladder symptoms can be associated with IBS.

How Common Is IBS?

IBS is actually quite common. It’s estimated to affect approximately 1 in 5 people in the UK at some point in their lives. This means that if you have IBS, you’re not alone. It can affect anyone at any age, but it’s more likely to first develop in young adults. Additionally, IBS tends to run in families, so if someone in your family has it, you might be more prone to it. Another interesting fact is that IBS is more common in women than in men.

Diagnosing IBS:

Diagnosing IBS isn’t as straightforward as taking a blood test or imaging scan. Instead, doctors rely on recognizing the typical symptoms and ruling out other conditions before giving such diagnosis. Here’s how it’s done:

• Symptom Assessment: Your doctor will carefully consider your symptoms and medical history. If your symptoms align with those commonly associated with IBS, they will explore this possibility further.
• Physical Examination: You may undergo a physical examination of your abdomen and rectum to ensure there are no other issues.
• Lab Tests: Blood tests and stool tests are often conducted to rule out other conditions that can mimic IBS, such as anaemia, inflammation, coeliac disease, or ovarian cancer (for women). A stool test may also check for bleeding from your bowel.
• Advanced Tests: Complex procedures like gastroscopy or colonoscopy are not usually necessary for diagnosing IBS. However, they may be considered if your symptoms are unusual or if you develop IBS symptoms later in life.

Conditions That Can Mimic IBS:

Several other conditions can produce symptoms similar to IBS. These include Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease, diverticulosis, gut infections, various tumours (including colon and ovarian cancer), and neuroendocrine tumours. It’s important to remember that IBS itself doesn’t cause colon cancer, but it’s crucial to report any new or concerning symptoms to your doctor, especially if you’ve been managing IBS for a long time.

Treating IBS:

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to treating IBS because it varies from person to person. Some people with mild symptoms may not need any treatment at all. While no treatment can completely eliminate symptoms, many options can help ease them and enhance your quality of life.

Lifestyle Changes: Lifestyle changes can make a big difference in managing IBS:

• Exercise: Regular exercise can help alleviate symptoms.
• Stress Management: Reducing stress and emotional triggers can be beneficial.
• Symptom Diary: Keeping a diary of your food, lifestyle, and symptoms can help identify triggers and patterns.

Home Remedies: Some patients may benefit from probiotics, which can be purchased over the counter. It’s recommended to try them for four weeks while monitoring their effects.

Diet for IBS: Certain foods can trigger or worsen IBS symptoms. A low FODMAP diet may help some people with IBS.

Medications: Various medications can be used to manage specific IBS symptoms, such as antispasmodics for abdominal pain, laxatives for constipation, antidiarrheal medicines for diarrhoea, and peppermint oil for bloating. Additionally, some antidepressants may help with pain and discomfort associated with IBS.

Psychological Therapies: Stress and emotional factors can trigger IBS symptoms in some individuals. Psychological therapies like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy, and psychotherapy can be very effective for managing IBS.

Outlook (Prognosis): IBS typically persists long-term but tends to have periods of remission and flare-ups. Symptoms may come and go, and some people may experience long symptom-free intervals. With treatment, many individuals find relief from their symptoms during flare-ups. IBS often improves over time, and in some cases, symptoms can eventually disappear altogether.

Conclusion:

While the exact cause of IBS remains elusive, understanding the factors that may contribute to its development can help you manage and cope with this condition. If you experience symptoms such as passing blood, weight loss, difficulty swallowing, or vomiting, it’s crucial to consult a doctor as these are not typical symptoms of IBS and may indicate other underlying issues.