Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Pain syndrome - diarrhea, constipation, or both

(A large number have diarrhea alone or diarrhea alternating with constipation. 20% have constipation only. Everyone has pain)

NO constitutional signs or symptoms

NO weight loss

(Rome criteria) The pain of IBS is:

1. relieved by a bowel movement
2. less at night
3. relieved by a change in bowel habit such as diarrhea

The majority are women with history of childhood abuse.

Diagnosis

clinical

Consider assessment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) if the person reports having had any of the following symptoms for at least 6 months:

• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Bloating
• Change in bowel habit.

A diagnosis of IBS should be considered only if the person has abdominal pain or discomfort that is either relieved by defaecation or associated with altered bowel frequency or stool form. This should be accompanied by at least 2 of the following 4 symptoms:

• altered stool passage (straining, urgency, incomplete evacuation)
• abdominal bloating (more common in women than men), distension, tension or hardness
• symptoms made worse by eating