irritable bowel syndrome and ibs symtoms

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Your Journey into Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized most commonly by cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

As its name indicates, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a syndrome. That is, IBS is a combination of signs and symptoms, but not a disease. IBS is classified as a functional disorder. A functional disorder refers to a condition where the primary abnormality is an altered physiological function (the way the body works), rather than an identifiable inflammatory, infectious, structural, or biochemical cause.

Research also indicates that IBS is a multi-faceted disorder. For example, the symptoms of IBS result from what seems to be a disturbance or imbalance in the interaction between the intestines, the brain, sensory function, and the autonomic nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function).

The articles on this site are provided to help you to better understand Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and your options for relief of these symptoms.

Click Here right arrow For a Special Report on the causes and treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

IBS and Children


IBS and Children

The condition of IBS is not related to a specific age, gender or type of personality. This chronic disorder can be a part of anyone’s life if the digestive system is off track. It will then cause symptoms of abdominal cramping and pain, constipation and diarrhea. Because it can become a problem for anyone, it is important to notice if your child may have any of these. If so, then you can take a series of steps to help them move past IBS.

One of the recognitions that you can make when determining whether your child has IBS, is determining when and how long their symptoms have occurred. IBS is known to be a chronic disorder if it occurs for a period of twelve weeks out of one year. Often times, you will notice that it is triggered after a stressful event that may be happening in the child’s life, such as a sickness or school problems. While this won’t cause IBS, it will often trigger the symptoms.

If you have seen several of the IBS symptoms in your child, then you should take them to a doctor. This will ensure that it is IBS and not a more severe symptom. Doctors will be able to perform specific examinations related to IBS to determine whether it is the IBS disorder or whether they have a more specific disease. From here, they can make recommendations on how to fix the problem.

From here, you can begin to make changes in the child’s lifestyle to prevent IBS. Most of the time, you won’t want to offer children the same medications that an adult can take for IBS. The formulas may be too strong for them and cause complications. Instead, you will need to take more natural approaches to solving the problem.

One of the major things that will need to be done is a change in diet for the child. It is known that eating more fiber and less fat will help the child to get rid of the problem. You can also try adding supplements for children into their diet that will help the nutrients to become more balanced for the child. If you have noticed that they aren’t getting enough physical activity, you might want to try a change in this as well, allowing them more time to run and play.

One option that you may also want to consider is talking to your kids about what is stressful to them. IBS symptoms are usually triggered by these stresses in the child. If you allow them to speak about what is bothering them, it will calm them down more and help with preventing IBS from occurring.

When you combine a change in diet, shift in activities and talking to your kids about things that are stressful, you will be able to prevent the problems with IBS. Knowing the symptoms that are occurring in the child, then taking the proper steps to shift them is a way to make sure that you are helping your child to get rid of this discomfort.


For information on a number of other common health problems, be sure to check out our home page at Common Health Problems.

Health problems are becoming more common as the "baby boom" generation gets older and will continue to do so for the next 20 years or so. Bowel problems are no exception.

 

Risk Factors for IBS

The main risk factors for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) include:

  • Sex
  • Family History

For example, you are far more likely to have IBS if you're young and female. In fact, two to three times as many women as men have the condition.

In addition, IBS does seem to run in families, possibly suggesting a genetic cause for the condition.

However, at the current time, the precise cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is not known.

New Irritable Bowel Information

  • Diagnosing the patient with abdominal pain and altered bowel habits: is it irritable bowel syndrome? - Problem-Oriented Diagnosis

    Family physicians frequently see patients who have abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. It is a challenge to properly evaluate these patients and differentiate between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and life-threatening illnesses of the gastrointestinal tract.

    IBS is one of the most common chronic gastrointestinal illnesses. IBS traditionally has been a diagnosis of exclusion, based on history, physical examination, and a negative battery of diagnostic studies. There are no structur ...
    Author: American Family Physician
    CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

    IBS in the News


    12/22/2011
    $6.75M Awarded To Case Western Reserve To Study IBD
    Investigators at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine received a $6.75 million Program Project Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to study the role of innate immunity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)...

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    12/01/2011
    Risk Factors For Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency Are Similar To Risk Factors For Developing Multiple Sclerosis: UB Study
    Summary: A vascular condition called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), which has attracted global attention as possibly being correlated with MS has, for the first time, been studied for the presence of risk factors in subjects who do not have a neurological disease...

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    11/22/2011
    Probiotics For Gut Health: VSL#3 Has Designations For Specific GI Issues
    As clinical studies continue to validate the use of probiotics to help promote general gastrointestinal health, a growing U.S. market1 for probiotics indicates that the U.S. healthcare community and consumers alike are recognizing the value of these beneficial microorganisms...

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    11/02/2011
    Targeted Antibiotic Drug Safest Among Recommended Treatments For Irritable Bowel Disease
    Among the most commonly used treatments for irritable bowel syndrome which affects as many as 20 percent of the United States population a targeted antibiotic was shown to be the safest in a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers, based on an analysis of 26 large-scale clinical trials. The study, for presentation at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Washington, D.C...

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    11/01/2011
    Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea Responds To Probiotics
    'Good bugs' look promising as anti-inflammatory agent for patients with ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, chronic fatigue syndrome In four different studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC, researchers explored the effectiveness of probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea; as an anti-inflammat...

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    Detoxification program for Radiation, Heavy Metals, Mercury, and Food Chemicals such as Aspartame!

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