What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)? is a type of functional gastrointestinal disorder that is characterized by abdominal pain and change in the bowel habits.?

What are functional gastrointestinal disorders?

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are comprised of two major categories. The first category, GI Organic disorders, have either gross abnormalities, like a tumor, ulcer or inflammation, or microscopic abnormalities. The second category, Functional GI disorders, are those without organic problems. In fact the Functional Bowel Disorder shares common features of the “normal looking gastrointestinal tract”.

What does "normal looking" mean?

It means that if you were to look at the GI tract with the naked eye, which basically happens during the endoscopic procedure, it would appear normal However, it does not function as a “normal” tract.

What are other names for IBS?

There are several other names for this disorder that you may have heard before. These include nervous colitis, spastic colon, mucus colitis, irritable colon and nervous bowel disease. However, none of these terms are appropriate terms for this disorder.

What is the exact definition of IBS?

One of the first definitions was proposed in 1978 by Dr. Manning and his colleagues who recommended that a diagnosis of IBS constituted the presence of the following four symptoms; 1) pain that is improved after a bowel movement, 2) diarrhea at the onset of abdominal pain, 3) more frequent bowel movements? at the onset of pain and 4) visible abdominal distension (bloating) (10).? These symptoms differentiate patients with IBS from patients with organic diseases. About ten years later, a group of physicians gathered together in the Rome and proposed new criteria for the diagnosis of IBS (the Rome-I criteria).? The Rome-I criteria (1992) and subsequently the Rome-II (1998) and Rome-III (2006) have added to our understanding of IBS. According to these criteria, IBS is defined as abdominal discomfort or pain for a period of at least 12 weeks (which do not need to be consecutive) over the past 12 months, as well as two of the three following features: 1) relief upon bowel movement, 2) onset associated with change in frequency of bowel movement or 3) onset associated with change in the form (appearance) of stool (13). Most physicians currently rely on the Rome criteria for diagnostic purposes.

Why is the terminology “Irritable Bowel Syndrome” preferable to other terms, such as “colitis”?

Colitis is inflammation of the large bowel. There is no real inflammation in IBS. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use this term for IBS.?

Why is IBS considered a “syndrome” and not a disease?

A syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms that cannot be explained by a specific problem. For example, in IBS, I do not know why people may have both gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal symptoms at the same time. In fact, certain disease processes, such as peptic ulcers or infectious disease, could present with a few of the same symptoms. Typically, I do not know exactly why or how this collection occurs. This is why I call it “syndrome.”

What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

There is a sensitive bowel which responds to irritant stimuli. IBS is actually a blend of abnormal intestinal motility and abnormal intestinal sensation.