Differential Diagnosis for IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome is a clinical condition characterized by a combination of abdominal cramping, bowel irregularities, increased colonic mucus secretions and varying levels of depression. Dyspeptic symptoms are also noted, symptoms being bloating, gas, and discomfort, and can be mitigated with IBS treatments.

The diagnostic algorithm identifies a name which can be applied to the patient's condition based on the combination of the patient's symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation. While some researchers believe this categorization system will help physicians understand IBS, others have questioned the value of the system and suggested that all IBS patients have the same underlying disease but with different symptoms.

Abdominal X-rays were analyzed for colon transit time and fecal distribution, which correlated significantly with bloating and abdominal pain. Thus a group of patients were identified with an increased fecal loading compared to controls, but having a colon transit time equal or less to the controls. This suggest that defecation patterns do not reflect the amount of feces in the colon and is called hidden constipation. This phenomenon may be linked to bacterial overgrowth.

Published research has demonstrated that some poor patient outcomes are due to treatable causes of diarrhea being mis-diagnosed as IBS. Common examples include infectious diseases, coeliac disease, helicobacter pylori, parasites. See the list of causes of diarrhea for other conditions which can cause diarrhea.

Celiac disease in particular is often misdiagnosed as IBS. The American College of Gastroenterology recommends that all patients with symptoms of IBS be tested for celiac disease. Chronic use of certain sedative-hypnotic drugs especially the benzodiazepines may cause irritable bowel like symptoms which can lead to a misdiagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.

Researchers have identified several medical conditions, or comorbidities, which appear with greater frequency in patients diagnosed with IBS. A study identified comorbidities as headache, fibromyalgia, and depression. One study reported a statistically significant link between migraine headaches, IBS, and endometriosis. Interstitial cystitis may be associated with other chronic pain syndromes, such as irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia.

IBS is a type of low-grade inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers have suggested that IBS and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are interrelated diseases, noting that patients with IBD experience IBS-like symptoms when their IBD is in remission. Serum markers associated with inflammation have also been found in patients with IBS.

A recent study found that IBS patients are at increased risk of having unnecessary cholecystectomy not due to an increased risk of gallstones, but rather to abdominal pain, awareness of having gallstones, and inappropriate surgical indications. IBS patients are more likely to undergo abdominal and pelvic surgery, and three times more likely to undergo gallbladder surgery. IBS patients were twice as likely to undergo hysterectomy.

Irritable bowel syndrome often disrupts daily living activities. Nineteen percent of respondents in a survey of married or cohabiting people with IBS stated they had difficulties in their personal relationships, and 45% stated that itinterfered with their sex life. The need for effective irritable bowel syndrome treatment is therefore of a high priority.

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The use of medicinal plants is taking an increasingly greater role in developing new techniques of treatment for IBS. Powerless, and faced with treatment failures, some doctors are actively seeking alternative effective IBS treatment to resolve this inadequacy. Created by highly trained scientists, this medicinal plant treatments provide real opportunities to safely eliminate irritable bowel syndrome with encouraging measurable results.

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