Conditions & Diseases: Digestive Diseases

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

See Also:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Types
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Causes & Risk Factors
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Signs & Symptoms
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Medical Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Treatment & Prevention Options

Introduction & Overview

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic, non-cancerous, non-contagious gastro-intestinal functional disorder having a group of symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort described as cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea and/or constipation between two stool consistency extremes. IBS affects the colon or large bowel, which is a part of the digestive tract that stores stool (1), (2) & (3).

About 20 percent of adult population or one in five Americans suffer from the symptoms of IBS. It occurs more commonly in women than in men beginning at an age of 35 years in 50 percent of the patients (4). Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS, may be called by other names such as nervous colon, spastic colon, spastic bowel, mucous colitis and spastic colitis.

See Also:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Types
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Causes & Risk Factors
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Signs & Symptoms
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Medical Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Treatment & Prevention Options

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com