Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common disorders affecting the gut. It causes abdominal pain and disturbances in bowel function, for example diarrhoea or constipation.
It can be a short-lived problem, for example after a gut infection, or a longer term (chronic) condition. The symptoms of the condition can be quite variable over time. IBS can affect up to one in five people at some point in their lives. Women are more commonly affected than men, and the disorder commonly starts in early adulthood.
IBS is one of a group of conditions called “Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders”. The term “functional” refers to the fact that there is a disorder of a particular function of the body, but that this is not accompanied by any abnormality of the structure of the body, or in the case of IBS, any inflammatory disorder of the gut.
There is no one cause for IBS, but it is thought to be primarily a disorder of the working of the gut nervous system. Interaction between our diet and gut function, and connections between the gut nerves and the brain, mean that what we eat, and our state of mind, can influence the symptoms of IBS.
IBS does not pose a serious threat to physical health and doesn’t increase the chances of developing bowel cancer or other serious bowel-related conditions.
The Lothian GI team have also worked together to make a number of videos about IBS and the various treatments which we hope you will find helpful.
