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Copyright 2015 American Medical Association. All rig hts
reserved.
JAMA PATIENT PAGE | Gastroenterology
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common cause of stomach
pain,
cramping, and changed bowel habits.
What Causes IBS?
Irritablebowelsyndromecandisruptnormalroutines.Butitisnotlife-
threatening,norisitrelatedtoahigherriskofcancer.Ithasmanycauses.
Forexample, yourbowelsmight contractabnormally. You
mighthave
changes in the bacteria in your bowels. Or you might be
sensitive to
stress or certain foods. Sometimes theseconditions can be
triggered
bysevereinfections.Othercausesarepossible.AClinicalReviewinthe
March 3, 2015,issueofJAMAprovides more information on IBS.
What Are the Symptoms?
Stomach pain or cramping
Changes in bowel habits (diarrhea,constipation, or both)Stomach
bloatingor distention
Intense urgesto move your bowels. Theseurgesmaynot berelated
to having a bowel movement.
Symptoms are often related to eating. Having a bowel
movement
oftenimproves IBS pain. Symptomsof IBS canchange.Yourdoctor
might suspect another disorder if yoursymptoms started
afterage
50yearsorifyouhaveafamilyhistoryofotherboweldisorders.Your
doctor also might suspect another disorder if youhave
Unexplained weight loss
Diarrhea at night or blood in your stool
Unexplained iron deficiency
What Makes the Symptoms Worse?
Certain foods. Examples include those that contain lactose,
fructose,or someothercarbohydrates. Otherexamples arefoods
thatcontain gluten (found in wheat).
Stress or anxiety
Certain over-the-counter and prescription drugs
Menstrual periods
Severe infections affecting the stomach or bowels. Examples
in-
clude travelers diarrhea or food poisoning
What CanBe Done?
Doctors can diagnose IBS based on typical symptoms and a few
simple tests. But doctors dont have reliable tests to
determinethe
precisecauseofIBS.Nosingletreatmentworksforeveryone.Sofind-
ingthe right treatment cantake time andpatience.Treatments
include
Dietchange.Youmight,for example,stop eating gluten or
certain
carbohydrates. Ask your doctor or dietitian.
Exercise
Dietary fiber or fiber supplements (ifyou are constipated)
Over-the-counter and prescription drugs
Reducing stress or changing behaviors
Treatments that affect the bacteria in your bowels. Your
doctor
might suggest probiotics. These provide helpful bacteria.
Your
doctor also might also suggest certain antibiotics. These
change
the type of bacteria already in your bowels.
Authors: WilliamD. Chey, MD; Shanti Eswaran, MD; Jacob
Kurlander, MD,MS
ConflictofInterestDisclosures:
TheauthorhascompletedandsubmittedtheICMJE
Form forDisclosure ofPotentialConflictsof Interest
andnonewerereported.
Sources: International Foundationfor FunctionalGastrointestinal
Disorders, IBS
Self-helpand SupportGroup, American Collegeof Gastroenterology,
American
Gastroenterological Association
TheJAMAPatient Pageis a publicservice ofJAMA.
Theinformationand
recommendations appearingon thispage areappropriate in
mostinstances, butthey
arenot a substitute formedicaldiagnosis. Forspecificinformation
concerning your
personal medical condition,JAMA suggests thatyou consultyour
physician. Thispage
maybe photocopiednoncommercially by physicians andother health
care
professionalsto sharewithpatients. Topurchase bulkreprints,
call312/464-0776.
FORMORE INFORMATION
International Foundation for Functional
GastrointestinalDisorders
www.aboutibs.org
IBS Self-help and Support Group
www.ibsgroup.org/
American College of Gastroenterology
http://patients.gi.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/
American Gastroenterological Association
www.gastro.org/patient-center/digestive-conditions/irritable-bowel-
syndrome
To findthisand previous JAMA Patient Pages, go to thePatientPage
link onJAMAswebsite atjama.com.Many areavailable in
English and Spanish.
982 JAMA March3, 2015 Volume313,Number 9 (Reprinted)
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