Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disease of the small and large intestine manifested by abdominal pain and disturbances in bowel movement frequency that are not caused by organic or biochemical changes. There is no drug that can cure the cause of the disease, but with the right diet and probiotic therapy it is possible to control the symptoms.

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is a chronic disease of the small and large intestines with abdominal pain and disturbances in bowel movements that are not caused by organic or biochemical changes. Approximately 3.8 per cent of people worldwide suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, symptoms usually appear between 20 and 40 years of age and it is more than twice as common in women than in men. However, this may be due not so much to the higher incidence in women, but to the fact that more women than men see a doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Irritable bowel syndrome – causes

Causes include:

• genetic factors
• abnormal intestinal microflora
• a history of gastrointestinal infections
• gastrointestinal motility disorders
• psychological factors – e.g. depression, chronic stress, traumatic experience

Irritable bowel syndrome – symptoms

Depending on the predominant symptoms, the following types of the disease are distinguished: 

• diarrhoeal
• constipation
• mixed

The most common symptoms include:

• diarrhoea, constipation or alternation of these,
• constant or recurrent abdominal pain,
• a feeling of fullness,
• flatulence,
• nausea
• vomiting,
• admixture of mucus in stools,
• heartburn,
• feeling tired.

What next?

The symptoms listed above can be indicative of many other diseases, so it is important not to diagnose yourself, but to see a gastroenterologist for appropriate diagnosis. The doctor can determine the presence of IBS based on:

• a thorough history taken with the patient,
• an assessment of your symptoms – the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome is based on your symptoms, as there are currently no diagnostic tests that can easily confirm the condition,
• diagnostics to exclude other diseases with a similar clinical picture.

Irritable bowel syndrome – diet

In irritable bowel syndrome, a FODMAP-restricted diet, i.e. a diet with a restriction on easily fermentable, short-chain carbohydrates, is recommended. This is best carried out under the guidance of a dietician specialised in this subject, as the dietician can help identify which products are harmful and which are not. While this is not ideal, there are no fixed dietary recommendations for this condition that are guaranteed to be effective. Each individual case of irritable bowel syndrome can be completely different, with symptoms often triggered by completely different products.

Irritable bowel syndrome – probiotics

Unfortunately, there are no drugs that will cure the cause of irritable bowel syndrome, but certain probiotics may have a beneficial effect in alleviating its symptoms. These include.  

Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75, 

Bufudobacterium infantis 35624,  

Lactobacillus plantarum 299v

The choice of probiotics and their dosage should be consulted with a doctor and/or dietician.

First step – observation

If you suffer from diarrhoea or constipation and have doubts about whether irritable bowel syndrome applies to you, start collecting more detailed information about what you eat, how you feel and what your stool is like. If you’re wondering if this is really necessary, we’re running with the answer. Even very much so. One part of diagnosis is a thorough history, and you can’t be better prepared to talk to your doctor than by having accurate information about your diet, mood and bowel movements. By going to the doctor with this list of information, you make it much easier for him or her to diagnose you, and thus shorten the path to finding solutions to your problem. You can easily collect all this data in the Fitatu app. With the calorie calculator function, the ‘Toilet’ function, where you note down your stool information with a few clicks, and the ‘Note’ function, where you can also mark how you are feeling with a few clicks, you have all the information in one place on your phone. 

Fitatu App

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