Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms

Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) is a functional and not an organic disease.

The following clinical irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and signs are indicative of the functional character of IBS:

• Variability of complaints.
• Recurrent character of complaints.
• No disease progress.
• No weight reduction.
• Symptoms intensification under stress conditions.

Main irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and clinical presentations:

• Abdominal pains. Pains occur mostly in the underbelly, and can be aching, dull, burning or spasmodic. Pains are usually not irradiating, growing after the meal and easing after bowel emptying, passage of flatus; they don’t occur in the nighttime and don’t interrupt the sleep. Women experience the intensification of pain during periods.
• Patients with irritable bowel syndrome complain of defecation tension, the feeling of incomplete emptying, mucus discharge at defecation, bloating or repletion feeling.
• Constipations (intestinal discharge less than 3 times a week). Constipations can be constant or temporary, lasting from several days to several weeks with liquid stool breaks. Sometimes feces take the form of a band or a pencil.
• Diarrhea (intestinal discharge more then 3 times a day). If a patient has a liquid stool (usu. 2-4 times a day), it occurs mostly in the morning, after the breakfast and is absent in the nighttime.
• Frequent imperative defecation urges. Patients can have frequent defecation urges accompanied by heightened aerogenesis. Total mass of day feces doesn’t exceed 200g.
• Abenteric irritable bowel syndrome symptoms:
  • Non-ulcer dyspepsia in 25% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
  • 80% of patients complain of nausea, eructation, vomiting, pains in right hypochondrium.
  • Different types of dysuria are possible. Painful bladder syndrome in 30% of cases.
  • Headaches are possible. 50% of patients have migraines or back pains.
  • Feeling of a lump in the throat, finger chill.
  • Patients mention inhalation dissatisfaction (periodic need to take a deep breath).
  • Impossibility of sleep on the left side (due to discomfort sense in the heart area)
  • A number of patients mention sleepiness, insomnia or sleep disorders.
  • 15 – 30% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome have anxiety and depression disorders: phobias, hysteria, panic arracks, hypohondria.
  • Possible development of dysmenorrhea and impotence.

Irritable bowel syndrome. What does it mean?

Irritable bowel syndrome is an idiopathic disease declaring itself in a motor and secretary defect of the bowels.

Irritable bowel syndrome means first of all an oversensitive bowel, painfully reacting to the most common situations as breakfast, preparations for work, upcoming date, not to mention celebratory dinner, chief call or quarrel with a close person.

The main difference between Irritable bowel syndrome and other bowel or gastrointestinal tract diseases is the absence of a so called disease substrate. What does it mean? For example, peptic ulcer disease is accompanied by defects of stomach mucous coat or duodenum (i.e. ulcer) which cause typical complaints. In irritable bowel syndrome a patient has complaints but no substrate. At least it can’t be detected by modern diagnostic studies.

Risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome development

• Genetic factors

The fact that enzygotic twins have irritable bowel syndrome more often than fraternal twins can be the evidence of genetic predisposition to the disease.

• Psychological disorders

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome have anxiety and depression disorders, sleep disorders, phobias, hysteria, panic arracks, hypohondria.

It was stated that 32-44% of patients with functional bowel disorders in the period preceding clinical symptoms onset underwent physical abuse or sexual harassment, went through the loss of a close person or divorce.

• Intestinal motility disorders

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome have basal bowel function disorders after food intake and as effects of emotional stress and myoelectrical activity disorders of large intestine muscle fiber.

• Visceral hyperalgesia

Visceral hyperalgesia can declare itself in pain sensitivity threshold reduction and more intensive feeling of pain in case of normal threshold.

• Physical injury or enteric infection

Physical injury or enteric infection can be the cause that patients start feeling abdominal pain after a lesser bowel impact than healthy people. Thus every seventh patient with irritable bowel syndrome in the past history has indications of an acute enteric infection (so called postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome).

• Hormonal changes

Women have an increase in bowel functional activity during periods.