Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), sometimes referred to as irritable bowel disease, is one of the most popular diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The disease affects about 1 in every 5 Americans. This is about 20 percent of the adult population.

IBS occurs more commonly in women than in men, and usually begins when people are about 35 years old and above.

What causes IBS?

There is actually no specific cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In fact, until now people are still puzzled about it.

Still, scientists have several theories about its cause. One theory states that people with irritable bowel disease have more sensitive and reactive colons than people who do not suffer from it. This means that a little stress or bacteria in the food that they eat can already cause problems in the digestive system.

What will you experience when you have IBS?

At the beginning, people with irritable bowel disease may feel that all they have is an ordinary case of diarrhea but they will eventually find out that IBS can be pretty disabling. It can cause a lot of discomfort and distress. People who suffer from the disease are not able to work or go out at night because of their various symptoms.

They cannot even travel in short distances just in case they might get an attack. Still with all its symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome does not do any harm to the intestines and it does not lead to any serious disease. But who needs a serious disease when you have this problem.

Here are some of the symptoms that people with IBS experience.

People with irritable bowel disease will often experience abdominal pain or at the very least discomfort in the abdominal area. Abdominal pain primarily comes from ulcers in the intestinal area when the inflammation becomes severe. On the other hand, some ulcers remain asymptomatic (without symptoms).

Strictures are another source of abdominal pain/cramps. Strictures refer to the narrowing of the passageways in the intestine. Due to chronic inflammation, scarring occurs and the tissues of the lining of the passageways thicken, much like the keloids that result from the scarring of the skin. The strictures then obstruct the contents of the intestines resulting to increased pressure in the intestine.

Often, the pain is relieved when the person has already moved his bowels. Diarrhea is another common symptom of irritable bowel syndrome but for others it is constipation. This dichotomy in IBS often puzzles scientists and gastroenterologists. IBS can both cause diarrhea or a loose bowel movement or constipation which is the complete opposite, infrequent bowel movement. In fact, some people with irritable bowel disease can experience both. They often alternate between constipation and diarrhea.

Diarrhea is perhaps the most debilitating of its symptoms because the frequency of the bowel movements causes the person to miss out in a lot of things. For instance, people will not be able to go to functions or events because they will only end up going to the restroom often. These people cannot also travel because of the inconvenience that the disease gives them.

Constipation is however also hard to deal with. Often people will lead to straining and cramping when trying to move their bowels. Usually, their bowels will have mucus on it. This is the fluid that moistens and protects the passages in the digestive system.

Another main problem is the feelings of discomfort and bloating in the abdominal area. People feel that they have so much in their stomach even when they actually don’t. After a bowel movement, most will feel as though they have not completely moved every bowel out of the body. Women who have their periods often experience more symptoms when they have their periods than when they don’t.

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