Irritable bowel syndrome spares no one. It can affect your infant child or your 92-year-old grandpa. It can affect your father or your mother, your brother or your sister. IBS is not a racist; it can affect an Asian as well as it can affect a Caucasian. It could even affect you. It chooses nobody.
Given that this is the case with irritable bowel syndrome, knowing its symptoms is the first step for you and your family. It can aid you in the early detection of IBS as well as its early treatment.
This syndrome is a functional bowel disorder and its causes are not yet known - it could be from a psychosomatic disorder, to an immune system disorder, or to an infectious agent. There are also studies that show diet, eating habits, stress and psychological well-being also contribute in the development of IBS.
Treatment of this disease varies from person to person. This is mostly due to the fact that treatment consists only of relieving the symptoms of the syndrome. Some of the treatment includes therapy for stress and psychologically induced IBS and taking of different medication related to symptoms.
Here is a list of symptoms for irritable bowel syndrome:
1) Abdominal Cramps - painful muscular contractions in the abdomen.
2) Flatulence - gas released from the anus
3) Diarrhea - consistent passage of soft to watery stools in short intervals.
4) Abdominal Discomfort - feeling of discomfort in the abdominal area.
5) Abdominal Pain - sensation of pain in the abdominal area.
6) Belching / Burping - production and release of gas in the oral area.
7) Abdominal Swelling - bloating of the abdomen.
8) Hard Stool - also known as constipation is stool that is usually dry and hard.
9) Stool With Mucus - the presence of mucus in the stool.
10) Headache - sensation of pain occurring in the head area.
11) Weight Loss - weight loss in IBS can be an effect of losing appetite.
12) Haggard Looking - the look of exhaustion is eminent on the person.
13) Nausea - uneasy feeling
14) Difficulty In Swallowing
15) Chest Pain
16) Bowel Movements
The most common symptoms that people experience are abdominal pain, abdominal swelling and a sudden change in bowel movement pattern. When this happens to you then it is possible that you have irritable bowel syndrome or other gastroenterological disease.
Since the etiology of IBS is unknown, there is no specific laboratory test that can detect it. Diagnosis can sometimes really become very difficult. A battery of tests is done to be able to rule out other possibilities of gastroenterological disease. Signs and symptoms manifested by the patients are also very vital in its detection.
The problem with this is that most, if not all of these symptoms are present in other gastric related diseases. This again becomes a painful task of categorizing signs and symptoms just to make sure that it really is irritable bowel syndrome.
Irritable bowel syndrome is not fatal. The most that it can do to a person is let him or her experience severe pain in the abdominal area. If experiencing severe diarrhea or constipation, it can lead to hemorrhoids. But even if it is not fatal, irritable bowel syndrome should not be taken lightly. There is a possibility that the signs and symptoms are indications of something more than IBS.
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