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Misconceptions Linger Around
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
New York -
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects 10
percent to 15 percent of people in the United States but is
misunderstood by many patients and doctors, says Dr. William D. Chey,
a gastroenterologist at the University of Michigan Health System.
"There are a wide spectrum of
symptoms that IBS patients can experience, which can make it
challenging to diagnose. While we know diet does play a role in
symptoms for many patients with IBS, those 'trigger foods' often
vary from person to person," Chey, director of U-M's
Gastrointestinal Physiology Laboratory, said in a prepared
statement.
Symptoms of IBS include cramping,
abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. To help people
with IBS gain a better understanding of the condition, Chey offered
the following information about the condition:
- IBS does not exist in the
patient's head. While psychological distress or stress can make
IBS worse, they're not the primary cause of the condition in
most cases.
- IBS occurs more frequently in
women but "it's important that people know that there are many
men diagnosed with IBS, and it also affects the elderly. In fact
there's some early evidence to suggest that IBS affects 8 to 10
percent of older individuals," Chey said.
- Many doctors believe IBS is
not an important condition because it doesn't affect a person's
lifespan. But Chey said IBS can have a significant negative
effect on quality of life and the ability to function on a
day-to-day basis, and should be taken seriously by both doctors
and patients.
- Lactose intolerance may play a
role in some cases of IBS, but it's not the cause of symptoms in
the vast majority of people.
- Most people with IBS don't
need to limit themselves to bland diets. Chey recommended that
patients keep a diary of the food they eat and IBS symptoms. "At
the end of a two-week period, it's possible to get a fairly good
idea about whether there are specific trigger foods associated
with the onset of symptoms. Those foods then can be easily
eliminated from a patient's diet," he said. Chey noted that
fatty foods, milk products, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine and
carbonated drinks are more likely to aggravate IBS symptoms.
- It doesn't require a lot of
medical testing to diagnose IBS. "Identifying the presence of
persistent recurrent abdominal pain in association with altered
bowel habits, and excluding warning signs (e.g. new symptoms
occurring after age 50, GI bleeding, unexplained weight loss,
nocturnal diarrhea, severe or progressively worse symptoms or a
family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease,
colon cancer or celiac disease), is enough to accurately
diagnose IBS in most patients," Chey said.
- Effective counseling, dietary
and lifestyle changes, and medication can help patients
effectively manage IBS.
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HealthDay
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