{"id":989,"date":"2021-09-11T13:13:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T07:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/?p=989"},"modified":"2023-11-24T14:50:41","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T09:20:41","slug":"what-is-ibs-or-irritable-bowel-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/what-is-ibs-or-irritable-bowel-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"What is IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome?"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)<\/strong> is an intestinal disorder characterized by stomach ache, gas, diarrhea and\u00a0 constipation. It is also known as IBS colitis, mucous colitis, spastic colon, nervous colon and spastic\u00a0 bowel. It is the most common disease that gastroenterologists diagnose with about 10-15% of the\u00a0 adult population having IBS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though what causes IBS is unclear, it is believed that microbial factors play a key role in triggering it. It has been often seen that IBS is preceded by food poisoning in most of the cases. Therefore, researchers believe that microbes involved in infectious gastroenteritis may have an impact on the\u00a0 immune system that leads to long-term changes in the gut. Other factors that lead to IBS include:\u00a0 problems with contraction of the GI muscles and how food moves through them; extra sensitive\u00a0 nerves in the GI tract; miscommunication between nerves in the brain and gut; hormonal imbalance\u00a0 etc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mostly, people aged 50 or younger are likely to develop IBS. People with a family history of IBS are the other cohort which are at a higher risk of developing it. Additionally, persons with a history of\u00a0 anxiety, depression or other mental issues, are vulnerable to develop IBS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)<\/h2>\n

Depending upon the state of stools and abnormality of the bowel movements, IBS is categorized into 3 types:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. IBS-C i.e., IBS with constipation: In this, more than a quarter of the stools are hard or lumpy\u00a0 and less than a quarter of stools may be loose or watery\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. IBS-D i.e., IBS with diarrhea: In this, more than a quarter of the stools are loose or watery\u00a0 and less than a quarter of the stools are hard or lumpy.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. IBS-M i.e., IBS with mixed bowel habits: In this, more than a quarter of the stools are hard or\u00a0 lumpy and the other quarter of the stools are loose or watery.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Signs & Symptoms of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)<\/h2>\n

    Though the main cause behind the development of the irritable bowel syndrome is not clear, there are\u00a0 multiple signs and symptoms which can easily indicate the presence of the disease. These include:<\/strong><\/p>\n