Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) It is a digestive problem that can cause a lot of discomfort to those who suffer from it.
Medical professionals use the common symptoms associated with the disease as a motivating factor in diagnosis and can help patients create a plan that can prevent IBS from negatively impacting their quality of life.
Although there is no cure for IBS, there are a number of dietary and behavioral adjustments that can be made that have proven successful in reducing symptoms.
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Read more about the diagnosis and symptoms of IBS below.
If you have persistent digestive problems, discussing your symptoms with your doctor can help you reach a diagnosis. (iStock)
1. How is IBS diagnosed?
There is no single test used to diagnose IBS.
rather, Doctors diagnose IBS By talking about the patient’s symptoms.
“We diagnose primarily based on symptoms, and there are criteria called the Rome criteria, which were developed by a worldwide group of experts who classify disorders of the gut-brain interaction,” Dr. Lawrence Ballen, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, which is part of the Mass General Brigham system, told Fox News Digital over the phone.
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“Every person with irritable bowel syndrome has abdominal pain as a major symptom, and they may have disturbances in their bowel function along with the abdominal pain,” Ballen adds.
“They will either have constipation or diarrhea, or there will be a group of patients who have alternating episodes of diarrhea and constipation.”
If you are experiencing digestive issues for a long time that are affecting your overall health, it is important to speak to a doctor and find out why these problems are occurring.
The diagnosis of IBS is typically made based on the patient’s symptoms. (iStock)
2. How do you cure IBS?
There are many different ways to ease IBS symptoms.
According to Bailen, the main methods of treating IBS can be divided into three different categories: diet and lifestyle adjustments, behavior modifications, and medications.
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“From From a dietary point of view, “One of the main diets that has been recommended and found in clinical studies to be beneficial for people with IBS is called the low FODMAP diet, and that’s an acronym for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols,” Bailen said.
“These are basically foods. Fruits, vegetables, artificial sweeteners, certain gluten-containing foods, have been found to be more difficult to digest and absorb,” Bailen added. “By eliminating those types of foods, and focusing on foods that are low in FODMAPs, there has been improvement in the symptoms of abdominal discomfort and bloating that are so common to IBS.”
In addition to diet, IBS patients can also make other lifestyle changes to reduce their symptoms.
For people with IBS, dietary changes can help ease uncomfortable symptoms. (iStock)
It includes exercises Known to reduce stress, Ballen said methods such as acupuncture, meditation and yoga, as well as talking to a therapist, may also be beneficial.
Along with diet and lifestyle changes, people with IBS are typically prescribed medication tailored to the person’s primary symptom, Bailen said.
3. Does IBS go away?
IBS is a condition that usually stays with people for their entire lives.
Ballen said IBS is usually diagnosed at a young age, and occurs in people between the teen years and age 30.
Older IBS patients are typically diagnosed later, Ballen said, because they have been living with IBS without consulting a doctor.
Practicing mindfulness through yoga and meditation may help ease common IBS symptoms. (iStock)
Although there are many similarities among IBS patients, the condition affects each person slightly differently.
For example, when it comes to food sensitivities, not all IBS patients suffer from the same sensitivities.
“There are some patients who can tolerate the foods on a low-FODMAP diet, and some who can’t tolerate them at all, so it’s very variable,” Ballen said.
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Although each patient’s experience will be slightly different, in general there are some foods that IBS patients should try to avoid.
“In general, avoid high-fat foods,” Bailen said.
“So any fried food, oily, greasy foods Usually poorly tolerated, because those foods in general are more difficult for our intestines to digest and absorb. Other foods that become a bigger problem can be artificial sweeteners.”
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“Finally, lactose intolerance is really common and it’s the most common acquired food intolerance,” Ballen said.
“It may also aggravate underlying symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.”
