Irritable Bowel Syndrome Is More Common Than You Think: Simple Tips To Help Prevent IBS

UK's NHS notes that Irritable Bowel Syndrome can flare up for no obvious reason, but it is most often triggered by certain habits such as consuming alcohol and caffeine, spicy and fatty foods, stress and anxiety, and regular usage of antibiotics.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Do you often experience stomach troubles that feel like cramping, constipation or nausea often after meals or as a result of anxiety and stress? Abdominal discomfort is an ailment that affects people of all ages, both children and adults, a condition that is more common than you think. One of the prevalent condition that is associated with abdominal pain and discomfort is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

What Is IBS?

A study conducted by the University of Cambridge reveals that 1 in 10 people are affected by IBS, causing a wide range of symptoms that significantly dysfunctions people's lives. Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disorder of gut-brain interaction, which is characterised by recurrent abdominal pain among many others. The National Institute of Health (NIH) states that despite its prevalence and significant impact on quality of life, IBS is often left undiagnosed or mismanaged, resulting in excessive diagnostic testing, unnecessary speciality referrals and increased healthcare costs.

Miles Parkes, the study co-senior investigator and consultant gastroenterologist professor at the University of Cambridge, explained, "IBS is a common problem, and its symptoms are real and debilitating. Although IBS occurs more frequently in those who are prone to anxiety, we don't believe that one causes the other our study shows these conditions have shared genetic origins, with the affected genes possibly leading to physical changes in brain or nerve cells that in turn cause symptoms in the brain and symptoms in the gut."

Symptoms Of IBS

Some of the main symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, according to the National Health Service (NHS) include:

• Severe stomach cramping after eating
• Feeling full all the time
• Passing watery poo
• Difficulty in emptying your bowels

Healthcare professionals claim that Irritable Bowel Syndrome can also cause the following symptoms:

• Farting
• Pooing mucus
• Tiredness and a lack of energy
• Feeling sick
• Backache
• Unable to fully empty your bladder
• Difficulty in controlling when you poo

The UK health agency notes that Irritable Bowel Syndrome can flare up for no obvious reason, but it is most often triggered by certain habits such as consuming alcohol and caffeine, spicy and fatty foods, stress and anxiety, and regular usage of antibiotics.

Treatment Of IBS

According to a study released by the UK university, researchers revealed that people with both IBS and anxiety are more likely to have been treated repeatedly with antibiotics during childhood. An approach that might have increased the risk of IBS and anxiety by altering the 'normal' gut flora, which in turn may influence nerve cell development and mood.

Currently, treatment for IBS includes a wide range of options like dietary changes, prescription medications targeting the gut or brain and behavioural interventions. Chris Eijsbouts, lead author of the study from the University of Oxford, notes that discovering genes that cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome may help in the development of new treatments for a long-term. He said, "Even genetic changes that have only subtle effects on IBS can provide clues about pathways to target therapeutically. Unlike the individual genetic changes themselves, drugs targeting the pathways they tell us about may have a considerable impact on the condition, as we know from other disease areas."

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