A Deeper Look in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Stomach bowel pain is commonly caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is a functional disorder of the gut. When there is a problem with the function of a body part but there is no abnormality in the structure, it is called a function disorder. Typically, in IBS, the function of the stomach is upset even if the all the parts of the gut look normal when examined in a microscope.

How is Irritable Bowel Syndrome diagnosed?

If you believe you have IBS, going to your doctor to seek help is the first step. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is typically diagnosed on the basis of a complete medical history and a careful description of symptoms and a physical examination.

Your doctor will ask if your symptoms have had a pattern over time. The pattern it may aid your doctor to evaluate if the cause of your stomach bowel pain. If something else may be cause your stomach pain the doctor may do some tests, such as blood tests or colonoscopy.

Most doctors refer to a specific list of symptoms that must be present to make a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Movement.

Symptoms include: Recurring Abdominal pain or discomfort for at least 12 weeks out of the 12 months. These 12 weeks do not have to be consecutive. The abdominal pain has two of the following three features:

Pain is alleviated by having a bowel movement.
When stomach bowel pain starts, there is a change in the form of the stool or how it looks.
There is a change in how often you have a bowel movement when the pain starts

These symptoms must also be present:

Change in appearance of bowel movements
Change in frequency of bowel movements
Uncontrollable urgency to have a bowel movement
Difficulty or inability to pass stool, constipation, bloating
Mucus in stool

As much as 20 percent of the adult population, or one in five people suffer from symptoms of IBS. It occurs more often in women and begins before the age of 35 in about 50% of people. Making it is one of the most commonly diagnosed by doctors to most of stomach bowel pain causes.