Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a long-term condition affecting the digestive system. It is now becoming more common and affects 1 in 5 people at some point in their lives. As with many digestive problems, it is often not discussed openly enough and people feel embarrassed talking about their toileting habits (even though we all do it, as it’s a natural bodily function).

So let’s speak frankly about it and hopefully help people understand how common it is and that there is help out there.

Symptoms
Firstly, some of the main symptoms include abdominal pain and cramping, constipation or diarrhoea (sometimes a combination of both), bloating, flatulence, lack of energy and feeling sick.

The symptoms are usually worse after eating and tend to come and go in what are called ‘flare ups’, often lasting a few days. Patients struggling with IBS are often told to keep a food and symptom diary to try and highlight any specific foods or drinks that may make symptoms more severe. This is also useful in recognising what is ‘normal’ for you, as everyone is different. Some people have a bowel movement a couple of times a day and this is ‘normal’ for them, whereas others may only go once every couple of days – they aren’t constipated, it’s just ‘normal’ for them, as their digestive system works slightly slower.

Causes and Treatments
There is no exact known cause of IBS, however it is thought to be linked to problems with digestion and over-sensitivity of the gut. It may be that food does not pass through the digestive systems of people with IBS properly because the signals that travel back and forth from the brain to the gut are disrupted in some way. This relationship between the gut and the brain, in particular the correlation bet-ween stress and anxiety and IBS symptoms, has been recognised by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). NICE highlight the importance of psychological interventions, such as Hypno-therapy and CBT, for treatment of IBS.

The first thing that Health Professionals will focus on is your lifestyle and diet, giving recomm-endations such as reducing your caffeine and alcohol intake and limiting your intake of high fibre foods. If symptoms persist after making some of these changes, they may suggest trialling single food exclusion diets, which they will discuss and plan in detail with you.

Pharmaceutical drugs such as laxatives or loperamide can be used for treatment of constipation and diarrhoea. If other things have been unsuccessful, then anti-depressants are sometimes used as part of a treatment plan.

IBS does not need to be suffered in silence as there is a lot available to help relieve symptoms. Discuss any changes in bowel habits with your doctor – they have a bowel too and so does everyone else!

For more information visit:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs
www.nice.org.uk/guidance