stomach pain

Irritable Bowel Symptoms

Irritable Bowel Symptoms are similar to those symptoms being experienced by a person with lactose intolerance. For this reason, IBS sufferers are misdiagnosed quite often so symptoms comparison should be done before giving treatment.

Irritable bowel symptoms can be persistent and troublesome and can be different from person to person. The most common symptoms are the following:

  1. Abdominal pain – This could be felt most often on the left low down part of the abdomen but it could be anywhere in the abdomen.
  2. Fullness and bloating – Sometimes goes with rumbling noises and wind or flatulence.
  3. Nausea – can occur but without vomiting because this is not usually an IBS symptom.
  4. Change in bowel habit – The patient either suffers from constipation or diarrhea or an alteration between these two symptoms. Individuals have different bowel habits but most people have their own pattern. The alteration in bowel habit may be in the frequency of the bowel movement or the urgency or rushing to do it. The person may find it hard to open the bowels. Incontinence can also be experienced occasionally.

The symptoms are attributed to an increased sensitivity of the bowel resulting to bowel muscle spasms. This disorder involves the bowel functions and is sometimes referred to as a ‘functional bowel disorder’.

Irritable bowel symptoms are not due to the following:

  1. It is not hereditary even if some family members have the same symptoms.
  2. It is not due to food allergy although some particular foods are not suitable to some patients.
  3. It is not due to infection although it may have started with an attack of gastro-enteritis.
  4. It is not due to bowel inflammation which is the case with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
  5. It is not due to ulcers, gallstones, cancer or other more serious digestive illness although patients suffering from these serious diseases may have the some symptoms similar to irregular bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome is very common in developed countries. The person who suffers from irritable bowel symptoms may be feeling embarrassed or distressed about his situation but worrying in silence will not help him unless he consults a doctor who can diagnose and help in its treatment.