In irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (synonyms: Irritable colon; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable bowel syndrome (IDS); Irritable colon; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable bowel syndrome (IDS); Irritable colon; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable colon; Irritable bowel syndrome; ICD-10 K58. -: Irritable bowel syndrome) is a functional bowel disorder in which no causative disorders can be found.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) belongs to the group of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID).
IBS is the most common cause of gastrointestinal symptoms in adults. 50% of all patients with gastrointestinal symptoms have IBS.
IBS is characterized using the ROM-IV criteria – see Constipation/Classification for more information.
IBS is classified as follows:
- Irritable bowel syndrome with abdominal pain and constipation (constipation) and/or diarrhea (diarrhea), in 80% of cases.
- Irritable bowel syndrome with painless diarrhea, in 20% of cases.
Sex ratio: males to females is 1: 2. This ratio is much less evident at older ages and more evident in patients under 50 years of age.
Frequency peak: irritable bowel syndrome occurs predominantly in people under 45 years. The disease can occur in all age groups.
The prevalence (disease incidence) is 20% (in the world). The lifetime prevalence (disease frequency throughout life) is much higher. In childhood, IBS is diagnosed in 20-45% of patients with functional, chronic abdominal pain. The Rome IV criteria (see “Classification” below) should be used to define IBS in children and adolescents.
Course and prognosis: IBS regresses spontaneously (on its own) in some patients, but often becomes chronic. Patients experience a significant impairment in their quality of life compared to the normal population and compared to other chronic diseases.Symptoms of IBS often occur in combination with other functional gastrointestinal complaints (e.g., functional dyspepsia/irritable stomach).
Comorbidities (concomitant diseases): There is no increased comorbidity with other serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract), but certainly with mental diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders, which is probably to be considered as a secondary disease.
For the first time, an association between symptoms of IBS and colorectal adenomas (benign gland-forming tumors of the colon or rectal mucosa) and carcinomas has been demonstrated. Patients with full-blown IBS were significantly more likely to develop colorectal adenomas (21 percent) and carcinomas (20 percent) than symptom-free controls. Further studies on this issue are awaited.
