The disease is characterised by chronic abdominal pain, flatulence or discomfort lasting longer than three months, often accompanied by an improvement in symptoms after bowel movement, usually associated with a change in stool frequency and consistency (diarrhoea, constipation, very hard or very soft stools).
The complaints are perceived by the patients as a strong impairment of their quality of life, so that they have to seek medical help.
The complaints are permanent in some patients, in others there are also symptom-free intervals. It is important to emphasise that the disease is not dangerous in the sense of a shortening of life or a tendency to degeneration.
Causes irritable bowel
The origin of the Irritable bowel syndrome is not clearly understood. However, it is known that there is an altered movement pattern of the intestine and an increased perception of stimuli from the intestine. In many patients, it develops following a gastrointestinal infection (so-called post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome) or in patients with previous, repeated antibiotic therapies in the context of other diseases.
It is important to exclude organic diseases by means of blood tests, ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity and a Gastroscopy and colonoscopy. Women should also have a gynaecological examination.
In particular, if the symptoms mentioned above are accompanied by warning symptoms such as anaemia, intestinal bleeding, weight loss or fever, this is certainly not irritable bowel syndrome and should be thoroughly investigated immediately.
Treatment irritable bowel syndrome
When treating irritable bowel syndrome, it is important first of all to take away the patient's fear of a dangerous disease and rather to emphasise that it is a functional disorder of the bowel.
The search for avoidable triggers, such as stress or certain foods should be undertaken by patient and doctor together. Excessive consumption of coffee, alcohol or tobacco, as well as pulses, onions and foods rich in fibre or fat can trigger or intensify irritable bowel symptoms. It is often difficult to distinguish irritable bowel syndrome from food intolerances such as lactose, fructose or sorbitol intolerance (sugar substitutes) and should be supplemented by appropriate breath tests.
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome appear to have a higher sensitivity to the intake of lactose, fructose and sorbitol with a corresponding increase in symptoms, so that the so-called low-FODMAP diet is becoming increasingly important in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. This is a special diet in which all foods with a high proportion of short-chain sugars, which are metabolized by bacteria in the large intestine and thus promote the formation of gases and diarrhea, are renounced for 4-6 weeks.
In addition to dietary measures, various medicinal therapies can be used depending on the symptoms, such as antispasmodics, so-called antidiarrhoeal drugs for diarrhoea, medicines to relieve flatulence or laxatives for severe constipation. Certain bacterial preparations (probiotics) often also have a positive effect. Often, several therapies have to be tried until there is a satisfactory improvement in the symptoms. A website Psychotherapeutic co-treatment can be helpful, especially if the therapy is not successful.
