What are the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a gut disorder characterised by abdominal pain, stomach distension and bowel dysfunction; loose bowels, constipation or a fluctuation between the two. IBS is now one of the most common problems of the digestive system and about one in six people have symptoms. The disease can develop at any age, but most people have their first symptoms between the ages of 15 and 40. Most people's symptoms are mild and so they may not see a doctor for treatment. However, some people have really troublesome symptoms, especially abdominal cramps, bloating, and urgent diarrheoa which seriously affect their quality of life.

The most significant symptoms in IBS are abdominal pain and abnormal bowel habit. Many people with IBS get crampy abdominal discomfort or pain which comes and goes and is often relieved by opening the bowels. Their bowels are often irregular sometimes diarrhoea or constipation and quite often swinging between the two extremes. Either needing to go to the toilet in a real hurry or not going for days. Other symptoms vary but include bloating, swollen tummy, passing mucous (slime), lacking in energy and sleeping poorly.

In medical terms, IBS is identified as someone having multiple episodes of abdominal pain or discomfort, with a frequency of at least three bouts in the past month for the past three months, and at least two of the three following:

• Diarrheoa or constipation concurrent with onset of pain

• Change in the frequency of defaecation concurrent with the onset of pain

• Abdominal pain stops after defaecation

In a recent survey the top 20 inconveniencies caused by IBS were summarised. These surprisingly included symptoms that are not normally associated with gut problems. Having IBS can get you down, make you feel anxious and disrupt your life in a big way. Socialising can become a distant memory and the impact can be stressful which often makes symptoms even worse.