Irritable bowel syndrome - what is it?
What diseases have not been declared diseases of the century: cancer, AIDS, neurosis, and chronic fatigue syndrome - you can list for a long time, and all this will correspond to reality. In this review, we will introduce you to another such disease of the century, irritable bowel syndrome. Actually, this disease approaches this title like no other, it is really extremely characteristic of our turbulent century, and very common.
Irritable bowel syndrome is one of those illnesses that seem to be there, but they seem to be not. They are in the sense that they are very noticeable by those who suffer from one of these diseases, but they are not because they are extremely difficult to diagnose, since they imitate many other intestinal pathologies, from a banal disorder to cancer. What is this subtle disorder?
The clinical picture of the disease
Irritable bowel syndrome is a disease of people of the most active age, its “favorite” age range is from 25 to 40 years. The symptoms of the disease are various and very frequent interruptions in the work of the intestines. Patients complain of stool instability, abdominal discomfort, and increased gas production. Stool upset is expressed in a change in the frequency of bowel emptying, a violation of the consistency of feces, discomfort during the act of defecation, a feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestines, the release of mucus with feces, tenesmus, the appearance of imperative urges, that is, the desire to go to the toilet in a large sudden and urgent manner. Often these symptoms are accompanied by abdominal pain, which, however, resolves immediately after a bowel movement.
Signs of irritable bowel symptom appear for a long time, at least several months. One of the characteristic signs of this disease is the fact that, despite the duration of the course, a medical examination does not show the presence of any intestinal lesion. A thorough diagnosis can only identify some degenerative changes in the colon mucosa in the absence of any inflammatory component.
The second characteristic feature is the traceable dependence of the onset of symptoms on stresses of any origin - fatigue, nervous overstrain, etc.
The fact that this is irritable bowel syndrome, and not something else, the doctor is usually prompted by the following signs: absence of weight loss, which distinguishes IBS from a malignant tumor, inconsistency of symptoms, frequency of appearance of symptoms and their dependence on stress, absence of disease escalation and signs of deterioration in general health.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diagnosis
With this disease, a gastroenterological examination is performed, since many diseases have similar symptoms, and they must be excluded. When it turns out that this is not helminthiasis, not a colon tumor, not ulcerative colitis, not celiac disease and not all the other pathologies with intestinal symptoms on the list, they diagnose irritable bowel syndrome. Thus, the next feature of this unusual disease is that, unlike other diseases, it is characterized not by the presence, but by the absence of changes in the organs of the digestive system.
Reasons for IBS
It may seem strange, but the reasons for the development of irritable bowel syndrome lie not in a digestive disorder, but in a dysfunction of the nervous system. This is confirmed by the intensification or renewal of the symptoms of the disease with nervous tension, as well as pathologies, one of which or several at the same time always accompanies IBS: chronic fatigue syndrome, headache, spinal, muscle and joint pain, increased anxiety, sleep disturbances, depression, panic attacks, libido disorders, erectile dysfunction. These signs are so common in this condition that doctors call them non-intestinal symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Eating disorders and other nutritional inaccuracies are also present, they act as predisposing factors. Improper, unbalanced diet, overweight, addiction to fatty foods and alcohol abuse act as a trigger for IBS.
Since all of the above, from stress to unhealthy diet, is characteristic of most of the inhabitants of modern cities, irritable bowel syndrome can truly rightfully be called a disease of civilization.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment Approach
IBS treatment is carried out in two directions: the normalization of the functions of the nervous system and measures aimed at relieving the symptoms of intestinal irritation. The leading role in therapy is assigned to non-drug therapy. The main treatment for intestinal symptoms is diet therapy. The diet is developed individually, taking into account the predominance of certain symptoms. General restrictions apply to fatty, fried, spicy foods, fast food, as well as foods that can provoke flatulence, such as whole milk, legumes, kvass, cabbage. It is also desirable to reduce the amount of meat and meat products that are difficult to digest.
Treatment of the nervous system involves, first of all, the normalization of rest and sleep, a decrease in psycho-emotional stress, and the development of stress resistance. Shown spa treatment, peloidotherapy (treatment with mineral mud), hydrotherapy, thalassotherapy. In some situations, physiotherapy and massage are used. Physiotherapy exercises, and even better yoga, have a good therapeutic effect, since it is this system that presupposes a simultaneous harmonizing effect on both the body and the psyche. Sometimes there is a need to resort to psychotherapy to help find the peace of mind that IBS patients need.
Drug therapy for irritable bowel syndrome is used to alleviate symptoms during an exacerbation, but in general it is not the main treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, and there is no drug that can eliminate IBS. The solution to the problem lies in changing the usual way of life to a more harmonious and healthy one, and until this happens, the disease will periodically remind of itself. Another statement is also true - when a person normalizes his life in all its areas, irritable bowel syndrome ceases to bother him.
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