How to tell if you’ve got IBS?
What is IBS?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders affecting around 7-15% of people. However you might be interested to know that it is 1.5 times more common in women and occurs in 970-90% of women who have Endometriosis.
Symptoms of IBS vary between people and can change over time. You might have all of them or only just a couple. Here’s a quick and easy list of the main symptoms that ironically start with the first 6 alphabet letters:
Abdominal Pain – Pain and discomfort mostly felt at the mid or lower abdomen 😖
Bloating & Distension – When your tummy sticks out like you’re 7 months pregnant and those skinny jeans just won’t zip up 😔
Constipation – When days go by between toilet visits and you need to push and strain to get even a small movement 🥺
Diarrhoea – Staying close to the toilet because a sudden urge might catch you off guard 🧻
Exhaustion – Well, if you’ve got these symptoms, who wouldn’t be tired?! 😪
Flatulence – Passing an embarrassing amount of gas and wind 💨
How it is diagnosed?
IBS is a syndrome, in other words, a collection of symptoms. It’s not a disease. So your doctor will likely take you through a series of blood tests, scans and scopes to exclude other diseases with similar symptoms before making a diagnosis. Some of the most common conditions that overlap with IBS include coeliac disease, endometriosis, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease and bowel cancer. In the instance you have another condition causing your IBS, your doctor will likely co-diagnose you with both. If no other disease is found, then you may just have IBS.
Image adapted from Monash University.
Did you know that there are 4 types of IBS?
Based on your stool frequency, form and appearance, as well as the presence of abdominal pain and pain when passing a stool, your doctor can diagnose the type of IBS you may have by using the Rome IV Criteria. You may even be shown a lovely chart that looks like this 👇
Credit: Bristol Stool Chart adapted by Monash University.
Usually, IBS sufferers either have stools falling in category Type 1 or 2, indicating that they have IBS-C (predominant constipation); or those who have stools looking like those in Type 6 or 7, signifying that they have IBS-D (predominant diarrhoea). There are also cases whereby one can get stools of both ends of the spectrum, meaning they have IBS-M (mixed bowel habits). Of course, there are the rare cases when the symptoms do not fit into any category, then they are considered to have IBS unclassified.
What is the cause?
The cause is poorly understood. However, we do know that it is multifactorial and largely related to the way the nerves in the gut communicate with our brain. IBS is thought to be caused by the following factors:
Gut Sensitivity – a.k.a. ‘visceral sensitivity’. People with IBS have sensitive nerves around their intestines, so when food, gas, and water stretches the intestine, it sends pain signals to the brain, leading the brain to respond by changing the movement and functioning of the gut, which leads to the next point.
Altered gut motility – the abnormal movement of the gut. This can mean that the gut either contracts and moves things along too quickly (causing diarrhoea) or too slowly (causing constipation). Oftentimes this can be caused by stress, anxiety or depression.
Bacterial – when the good and bad bacteria in the gut is not balanced and goes out of whack. This is known as gut dysbiosis and is triggered by factors like a change in diet, taking new medications, or being infected by viruses or bacteria.
Intestinal permeability – when gut dysbiosis causes the immune system to switch on, leading to low grade inflammation and weakening of the gut lining.
Infections – when the gut is infected severely (such as during a bout of gastroenteritis) and damages the intestinal lining.
What can you do?
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, it is very important for you to get it checked by a doctor as IBS is something that should not be self-diagnosed. Because IBS is especially related to your digestive system and your food intake, altering your diet properly is crucial to help you find relief from symptoms. If you are looking to restore a sense of control over your life, seek the support of a Monash Certified IBS specialist dietitian, like myself, to help you safely and quickly find relief from IBS.