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April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month! Here’s what you should know.

IBS Stomach Pain

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common condition that affects the digestive system and requires long-term management. April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month, so here are some basics about IBS:

Symptoms

Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, and excessive gas as well as constipation, diarrhea, and, in some cases, both.

Symptoms come and go as well as range in severity, so only a small minority of those who experience IBS symptoms seek medical help. But you should see a doctor if you experience serious IBS symptoms: losing weight, rectal bleeding, excessive diarrhea, unexplained vomiting, difficulty swallowing, or if a bowel movement or passing gas does not relieve abdominal pain or cramping.

Causes

The specific cause of IBS is not clear, but the following factors seem to be related to it:

  • Intestine muscle contractions
  • Nervous system abnormalities
  • Intestine inflammation
  • Infection
  • Changes in microflora

Triggers

Here are three main triggers for IBS:

  • Food: Certain foods can trigger IBS in many people. Those foods included carbonated drinks, dairy products, cabbage, beans, fruits, and wheat.
  • Stress: Even though stress does not cause IBS symptoms, many people with IBS have an increase in symptoms when stress increases.
  • Hormones: IBS affects women more than men, and some women have more IBS symptoms near the time of their menstrual cycle.

Risk factors

  • Females are twice as likely as males to have IBS.
  • Those under 50 are more likely to have IBS.
  • Having family members with IBS makes it more likely that you will have IBS,although it’s not clear how genetics and environment influence this.
  • Those with mental issues, including depression or anxiety, are more likely to have IBS.

Diagnosis challenges

Since IBS symptoms are similar and sometimes identical to those of other intestinal disorders, it can be difficult to diagnose IBS. Malabsorption, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s Disease, microscopic colitis, and eosinophilic colitis have similar signs and symptoms.

Treatment

The treatment of IBS often includes a combination of diet change, stress relief, and medication, plus focuses on relieving and preventing symptoms. It is often a long-term process.

Diet changes

Your doctor might recommend removing these foods from your diet:

  • Foods that cause gas: Carbonated beverages, alcohol, caffeine, raw fruit beans, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are some foods that lead to increased gas.
  • Lactose: Temporarily removing lactose from your diet can help you determine if your symptoms might be caused by lactose. Removing lactose-rich foods like milk, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese from your diet for two weeks might reduce your IBS symptoms.
  • Gluten: Removing gluten can give a patient relief from IBS even if he or she does not have celiac disease.

While there are some foods that lead to an increase in IBS symptoms, here are several that people with IBS consume that help reduce symptoms:

  • Water, ginger ale, citrus soda, or Gatorade, instead of carbonated beverages
  • Soy milk or rice milk instead of dairy milk
  • Soy or rice-based products
  • Plain pasta and white rice with no sauce or gravy
  • Boiled or baked potatoes
  • French bread, Italian bread, white bread, English muffins, and plain, white rolls
  • Plain fish, chicken, turkey, and ham
  • Soft-boiled or poached eggs
  • Plain cereals, like Corn Flakes, Cheerios, and Chex.
  • Simple salads (lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, and oil and vinegar dressing)
  • Cooked peas and carrots

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment today to talk to a gastroenterologist.

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