
How Is IBS Diagnosed: Over-Simplified (With Infographics)!
IBS is diagnosed on a symptom-based criteria including chronic or recurrent abdominal pain, stool form, and bowel habit changes.
✅ Evidence-Based.
By Dr. Farahat.
Welcome to the most unpredictable, most irrational disease on planet earth; Irritable bowel syndrome. IBS is probably the most confusing disease.
This is because we cannot expect a definite pattern of symptoms. Also, sometimes we cannot even define the cause of an IBS flare-up.
The most common causes of An IBS flare-up are:
Today I will share with you all the possible causes of an IBS flare-up as a doctor and an IBS sufferer.
FODMAPs are a type of fibers that are proved to trigger your IBS. They are highly fermentable inside your colon causing IBS flare-up. Identifying and eliminating these FODMAPs from your diet is the best food strategy to prevent IBS flare-ups (ref).
The complete list of high FODMAP fruits:
For a complete list of both low and high FODMAP foods, Download our FREE guide here.
For a complete list of both low and high FODMAP foods, Download our FREE guide here.
For a complete list of both low and high FODMAP foods, Download our FREE guide here.
A survey of 300 patients with IBS found that 40% of the patients with IBS attributed their IBs flare-ups to the consumption of fatty foods.
So, the consumption of high-fat foods can trigger your IBS symptoms. Examples of High-fat foods to avoid:
Caffeine and caffeinated drinks are known as triggers for IBS pain and diarrhea. Avoid too much caffeine in your foods and drinks.
Eating too much food can trigger your IBS symptoms by:
So, It is important to avoid binge eating or large meals. it is time to change your food behavior and live a healthy life.
Your colon has numerous nerve plexuses that form what so-called the “second brain”
From my career as a gastroenterologist, I found that the Digestive system is the most system to be affected by mental health issues and stress.
Many functional gut diseases (not only IBS) are related to anxiety, stress, and psychological dysfunction. For example, GERD, Functional dyspepsia, Functional nausea and vomiting, Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa.
This study found that anxiety is far more common among IBS patients than the general population (44% vs 8%).
Every time you are subjected to a stressful event or anxiety attack, your IBS may flare-up, some examples of IBS triggers:
Read our complete guide about IBS and anxiety.
People with IBS may have much lower thresholds to pain (ref). any physical stressor or painful conditions can trigger a new IBS flare-up.
Common examples:
A bad night’s sleep may result in a bad IBS day. Also, It is interesting to know that many people with IBS suffer from some forms of sleep disturbances (ref).
So, try to obtain the optimum number of sleep hours (typical 7-8 hours). You have to change your sleeping behavior if you sleep less than 7 hours per night.
Also, irregular or random sleeping times due to work or travel may trigger your IBS flare-up.
IBS flare-ups can be confused with actual gastroenteritis (especially IBS-diarrhea attacks).
some Gut infection may resemble or trigger an IBS flare-up such as:
Sings it is a gut bug and not an IBS-flare up may include:
And for sure, stomach bugs can add to your IBS and worsen your IBS-flare up (ref).
One of the strongest theories of IBS is the disturbance of your Gut Microbiota. Gut Microbiota is beneficial micro-organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi).
They live inside your gut and help to regulate digestion, absorption, intestinal motility, and immunity.
Disturbance in the intestinal microbiome ( as post-infectious IBS or post antibiotics may result in IBS.
Also, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) may contribute to IBS. This especially prevalent with IBS-Diarrhea and IBS bloating.
We use some gut antibiotics to control IBS-Diarrhea attacks which may be caused by SIBO (ref).
Check your list of medications, many of them can cause a new IBS flare-up by a variety of mechanisms:
A rule of thumb is to check all the active and inactive ingredients of any medication you use. And review the list of drugs with your gastroenterologist.
Females are way more affected by IBS than males. This study estimates that females are affected by IBS up to 2.5 to 3 times more than males. And the number one cause of this may be your “female sex hormones”.
Any recent disturbance in your female hormones can act as a trigger of new IBS flare-ups.
That is why many IBS flare-ups in females occur during menstruation or just before it.
Also, some females may experience a change in IBS Flare-ups during pregnancy.
Read our Detailed article about IBS and Pregnancy
The exact mechanism of how female sex hormones is unclear. and the emotional alternations caused by female hormones may play a role in IBS flare-ups.
IBS is diagnosed on a symptom-based criteria including chronic or recurrent abdominal pain, stool form, and bowel habit changes.
Blood in stool with IBS may occur due to variety of condition. One of the most common causes of bloody stool is anorectal fissures or piles due to severe IBS-Constipation
Death from eating melons with honey is a wrong claim. You can safely eat melon with honey.
IBS And Rice (Brown And White): All You Need To Know. Your Health Matters! Reading an article about something sensitive such as YOUR HEALTH can
The most common causes of IBS yellow stools are yellow foods, IBS-diarrhea flare-ups, gastroenteritis, and stress. Other less common causes such as liver, pancreas, and gallbladder disease can result in a yellow stool with IBS.
IBS doesn’t cause anemia, and anemia is not a symptom of IBS. presence of anemia with IBS requires consultation of your doctor about the causes of anemia with IBS. Both anemia and IBS are common conditions, their co-existence doesn’t necessarily mean they are related.