Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - All You Must Know!

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is considered as a common disorder which is known for affecting the large intestine of the human digestive tract. It can be recognised through various signs and symptoms in and on our body such as abdominal pain, cramps, gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea and in several conditions both at the same time. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is considered as a chronic disease which requires management for a long period of time.

There is a small number of people who experience severe signs and symptoms, suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. There are few people who can control the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome by bringing changes in their lifestyle, reducing stress and taking and maintaining a balanced diet. When someone suffers with very severe symptoms they are treated medically and need counseling too.

Symptoms

There can be so many variations in the signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome but their appearance remains for a long period of time. The most common symptoms a person suffer are:

• Bowel movement's appearance changes from time to time.

• There is a change in the occurrence (how often it occurs) of the bowel movement.

• Cramping, bloating or abdominal pain which is closely related to the movement of the bowel.

• Mucus in the stool, increased gas are few other problems which are related to irritable bowel movement.

When you start facing or experiencing persistent and continuous change in your bowel habits and movement, other signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome you should immediately reach out to a doctor for consultation. These conditions can sometimes be an indication of bigger problems such as colon cancer. Few severe symptoms are listed below: 

• No relief from the persistent pain because of the bowel pain or the passing of gasses

• Weight loss

• Difficulty in swallowing

• Diarrhea at night

• Unexplained vomiting

• Rectal bleeding

• Iron deficiency anemia

Causes

The actual cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not known but there are certain factors which play a important role in the appearance of Irritable bowel syndrome like:

• Nervous System: There can be certain abnormalities in the nerves of your digestive system which leads a person to experience greater pain and discomfort than normal conditions because of stretching in the abdomen due to passing of gas or stool. The poor coordination of signals between the intestines and the brain results in the overreaction of your body against the changes occurring during the digestive process which result in pain, constipation or diarrhea.

• Severe infection: Development of irritable bowel syndrome can happen because of severe bout of diarrhea (gastroenteritis) which is caused because of a virus or a bacteria. Irritable bowel syndrome is sometimes associated with the presence of surplus bacteria in the intestine also known as bacterial overgrowth.

• Early life stress: A person who is exposed to terrible and stressful situations and events during their childhood are more likely to have symptoms and signs of Irritable bowel syndrome.

• Changes in gut microbes: Few instances of change in the composition of microbes such as fungi, bacteria and viruses in the gut leads to irritable bowel syndrome because they reside inside the intestine and are known to play a key role in human health. People who are healthy have different microbial functions in their intestine than those who are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.

• Muscle contractions in the intestine: Walls of the intestines have layers of muscles which contract due to the movement of food in the digestive tract. Diarrhea, gas and bloating can occur because of strong and long lasting contractions than the normal ones. When the intestinal contractions are weak and slow leads to slowing of passage of food and also result in the formation of dry and hard stools.

Treatment

The treatment mainly focuses on relieving the patient from the symptoms of irritable bowel movement. This lets you live a life free of all the symptoms of Irritable bowel movement. When the symptoms are mild they can be controlled easily by the management of stress and making necessary amends in your lifestyle and diet. You should try to :

• Drink enough fluids in the day

• Get enough sleep

• Eat food rich in fiber content

• Exercise regularly

• Avoid foods which can trigger your symptoms

Your doctor may also suggest you to eliminate certain food items from your diet such as:

Gastric foods:

If you are experiencing symptoms such as bloating or gas you should avoid food items like alcoholic and carbonated beverages and also some food items which may increase gas in the body.

FODMAPs:

A lot of people are very sensitive to various kinds of carbohydrates like fructose, lactose, fructans and others which are known as FODMAPs fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. These FODMAPs are found in certain dairy products, grains, fruits and vegetables.

Gluten:

People with irritable bowel syndrome can experience reduction in symptoms like diarrhea when you stop eating gluten like wheat, barley and rye.

Certain medications which are specific to Irritable Bowel Movement:

Some medicines which are specifically approved for certain people with irritable bowel syndrome are:

Alosetron (Lotronex):

This is a medicine which is specially designed for the relaxation of the colon and slows down the water movement in the lower bowel. This medicine can only be prescribed by doctors who are part of a special program. This is only suggested or prescribed in cases of severe diarrhea which is a symptom of irritable bowel movement in women who have not paid attention to or taken part in other treatments, this medicine is not at all advised for men. This medicine is found to have various and rare side effects and should be prescribed or suggested in cases where no other treatments have proved to be successful.

Rifaximin:

This medicine is an antibiotic which curbs the overgrowth of bacteria in the colon region and decreases diarrhea.

Lubiprostone (Amitiza):

This medicine helps in increasing the fluid secretion in the small intestine which helps in the passing of the stool through it smoothly. Women with irritable bowel syndrome are prescribed this medicine when they are having constipation and other severe symptoms. This is suggested only in conditions where other treatments have not proved to be helpful. 

Linaclotide (Linzess):

This medicine also helps in enhancing the fluid secretion in the small intestine which results in the smooth passage of stool through it. This medicine is known to cause diarrhea and is usually advised to be taken 30 to 60 minutes before consuming food.

Eluxadoline (Viberzi):

This medicine is usually helpful in easing the diarrhea because it decreases muscle contractions and fluid secretion in the intestine. This medicine is also helpful in the enhancement of muscle tone in the rectum. It also has certain side effects like mild constipation, nausea and abdominal pain and this medicine has also been associated with pancreatitis which is a serious problem and is very common among individuals.

Conclusion 

If you keep in mind the causative factors you can keep yourself away from the risk of having this problem of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and you can consider using certain medications and habits after consulting with your doctor which could help you recover from this problem of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I hope you found this helpful and informative.

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