The Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

"It's not a definitive disease. It's a collection of symptoms. IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] probably encompasses a number of entities."
"IBS is well documented after big outbreaks of gastroenteritis."
"These are disorders of the gut-brain axis."
Eamonn Quigley, gastroenterologist, Houston Methodist Hospital

"It's a collection of foods that are commonly malabsorbed. When anyone eats chili, they have gas. But most people go to work the next day."
"People with IBS are more sensitive. The gas gets trapped, there's cramping and they're out of work for two days."
Honestly, it's the difference between a diet that feels too restrictive and a pleasant experience [working with a professional dietitian to discover meal substitutions]."
Kate Scarlata, registered dietitian, Boston

About ten to fifteen percent of the U.S. adult population has symptoms consistent with IBS, making it the most common diagnosis made by member physicians, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. In Canada, studies affirm IBS could be responsible for affecting up to 13 to 20 percent of Canadians, with a lifetime risk for development of IBS in Canada at 30 percent, according to the GI Society.

As for symptoms, they include excess gas, bloating, abdominal pain and irregular bowel movements which sometimes turn out to be diarrhea, or constipation, occasionally fluctuating between the two extremes. The presence of these symptoms is what leads to the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. For the most part a battery of tests meant to rule out other conditions related to IBS are undergone; conditions such as celiac disease and Crohn's disease, before the final diagnosis is made.

Despite the fact that irritable bowel syndrome is so pervasive a condition within the population its cause is as yet unknown, and even the course the disease takes has a wide variance. For some people a relatively sudden onset occurs coinciding often with an intestinal infection or a stomach flu. For other people it is the awareness that they have always experienced digestive issues, as when in childhood having stomach upsets or food intolerances.

Over-the-counter pharmaceutical products can often help manage IBS along with attention to lifestyle habits. The attending physician could recommend a fibre supplement or a probiotic pill with "good" bacteria. Loperamide, an antidiarrheal and Bisacodyl, a laxative, can each help conditions of recurring bowel movement types. There are prescription-level pharmaceuticals to relax the intestinal muscles, relieving cramping, such as anti-spasmodics like Dicycloverine and Hyoscyamine.

As for the lifestyle habits, dietitian Kate Scarlata's book, The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step, can be useful. FODMAP represents an acronym for 'fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharide, monosaccharide and polyols, all of them carbohydrates. Known gas-producing foods like beans and cauliflower fall into the FODMAP category. Other food types known to present problems for some people are wheat and dairy, as well as for some, onions, apples, mushrooms and honey.

Eating such foods for people with IBS can be the cause of major flare-ups in the condition because gut bacteria feed on the malabsorbed foods and then produce excess gas. Since not everyone with IBS is sensitive to all high-FODMAP foods, consultation with dietitians skilled in dealing with the symptoms comes highly recommended.

Stress reduction is yet another issue that can be usefully therapeutic in view of the fact that many IBS patients make the connection with stress having a deleterious effect on their symptoms. According to Dr. Quigley this observation is considered evidence of a direct connection between the brain and the gut. Symptoms of anxiety and depression, housed in the brain are seen to trigger IBS symptoms.