Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder of the large intestine, also called the colon. While the true causes of the condition aren't well understood, it's thought that factors such as coordination of the muscles of the intestine, and abnormalities of the gastrointestinal nervous system, may be involved. This syndrome causes a range of symptoms such as abdominal pain and cramping, gas and bloating, and constipation and diarrhoea. Typically, people with irritable bowel syndrome have one or more symptom triggers, such as stress, hormone levels, or eating certain kinds of food.
Irritable bowel treatment plans may include a range of different possibilities, depending on the severity of the condition for each patient. Some people experience relatively mild symptoms and are therefore able to control their condition by eliminating certain foods, such as gluten, or high gas-producing foods such as raw fruit, cabbage, and broccoli, from their diet. People who experience severe or ongoing symptoms tend to have a harder time controlling their symptoms, and might need more aggressive irritable bowel treatment. A range of different types of medications, including fibre supplements, anti-diarrhoea medications, antispasmodic medications, antidepressants, and antibiotics, may be prescribed, depending on a patient's symptoms and disease triggers.
Irritable bowel syndrome is one of a range of disorders characterised by hypersensitivity to agents in the environment such as food or infection(Irritable Bowel Syndrome), acid(acid sensitive oesophagus), non-ulcer dyspepsia(acid or other agents), chronic abdominal pain(food or previous surgery). These sensitivities can be worsened by psychological factors. The full range of investigative techniques is offered. These include endoscopy, colonoscopy and video-capsule endoscopy, and MRI scanning to rule out more sinister pathology. Breath testing is offered for lactose intolerance, and fructose intolerance and bacterial overgrowth, IgG testing for food reactivity and dietary treatments including exclusion diets and FODMAP diets.
