¿What is irritable bowel syndrome?

Monday 21 April 2014 | Andreia Nogueira at 02:38 |

Also known as nervous colitis, irritable bowel syndrome is manifested by changes in bowel function, including diarrhea or constipation for long and, in some cases, alternative periods. Some doctors say that sometimes IBS causes an inability similar to the one of disabled people.

Patients don't show any change in intestinal metabolism or infection. That's why IBS is often associated with medical conditions like anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue or bulimia. Moreover, the symptoms are more common during periods of emotional stress and they can also result from feelings of guilt or stress. However, there is no cause-effect formula that can be applied in this case. For example, according to some therapies, we already born with this medical condition, although it only manifests itself later in life. Studies have shown that the bowel of these people seem to be more sensitive to different stimuli, such as certain foods and anxiety.

Credits: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (United States), it seems there is an association between a bowel motility disorder, i.e., the muscular contractions of the bowel that lead the food, and an abnormal perception of stimuli in the intestine. People without IBS don't feel any discomfort with this. For example, people with this medical condition are uncomfortable with normal volumes of gas in their intestines, something that doesn't affect people without IBS.


A person can live decades with this medical condition without her health suffers long-term consequences or attracts other diseases.

IBS affects mainly women and it could start in any age, although normally starts during youth and young adulthood and only in rare cases after 50 years old.

There is a higher incidence of IBS in more developed countries. In the United States, for example, one in six individuals suffer from IBS. In Portugal, the number is about 15 percent of the population. However, there are many people who have symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, but they never visited a doctor, preferring to suffer in silence.

Please, follow this blog to read about symptoms and diagnosis of IBS.

Sources:

- Http://www.minhavida.com.br/saude/temas/sindrome-do-intestino-irritavel (16th April 2014)
- Http://saude.sapo.pt/saude-medicina/medicacao-doencas/doencas/sindrome-do-colon-irritavel.html (16th April 2014)
- Http://www.fbg.org.br (16th April 2014)
- Http://pt.wikipedia.org (16th April 2014)