subject: Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Signs, Symptoms And Diagnosis [print this page] Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the organs in the gastrointestinal tract. Functional disorder means there is something wrong with the functions of the organ but there is nothing wrong with its physical structure nor are there any pathological abnormalities.
Some studies suggest that the immune system plays a part in the development of irritable bowel syndrome. And other studies yield results that IBS is caused by some infectious agents.
The signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome vary from person to person. One symptom may be present on patient A but not on patient B and a symptom may be present on patient B but not on patient A.
We know that the most common symptoms of IBS are diarrhea, constipation, abdominal cramping, abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits.
As you now know, it is quite difficult to diagnose this syndrome. Unlike other conditions, there are no specific laboratory tests that would be able to confirm IBS in a person. Another problem in its diagnosis is that the signs and symptoms of IBS are very general and can also be present in other gastrointestinal diseases.
Because of this dilemma, a set of guidelines and rules has been set in diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome. It is basically about categorizing signs and symptoms and ruling out other possibilities of gastrointestinal diseases.
Because of the difficulty in diagnosing this condition, there have been cases of misdiagnosis. Luckily though, IBS is not really a life threatening condition.
You have known that this disease is a functional disorder and that there is nothing wrong physically with your organs. You have also known that the cause of this condition is not quite clear yet. And you have also known that it is quite difficult to diagnose. But despite it being idiopathic, irritable bowel syndrome is not fatal.
A person suffering from this syndrome can have a normal life. There are instances though that you may need to have some maintenance meds not as a cure for IBS itself but to suppress its symptoms. Abdominal cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation can be quite difficult to handle if they are not suppressed.
There are also instances that after doing their treatment regimen symptoms won't persist for a very, very long time. But you must expect that it can come back any time.
A question that has been bothering a lot of people with this disease or people who know people with IBS is that, "Does irritable bowel syndrome cause the life expectancy of a person to shorten?" Well, the answer to this question is a big NO. It will not lengthen your lifespan but it won't shorten your lifespan either.
With that you must already know the answer to the question, "Is irritable bowel syndrome a harbinger of something worse?" As opposed to what a lot of people think, IBS is not a harbinger of any worse condition.
