The more abnormalities in intestinal and brain function that IBS sufferers have, the more severe their symptoms of this functional bowel disorder, and the more adversely their everyday life is affected. This is shown by a Sahlgrenska Academy study indicating that patients with IBS should get treatments for different abnormalities simultaneously, to improve both bowel function and signaling from the brain to the gut.
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is very common. Up to one out of ten adults in Sweden has this functional bowel disorder to some degree of severity. Diagnostic criteria for the IBS diagnosis include abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, and irregular bowel activity over a long period. The underlying causes are not entirely known, but abnormalities both locally in the intestines and in the central nervous system are thought to be implicated.
Currently, no available treatment cures IBS, but its symptoms can be alleviated. There are drugs that can improve intestinal function in various ways, and in some cases brain-directed therapy is also given.
There are studies showing that hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressants can all have an effect against IBS. The view of the gut and brain working together in IBS is beginning to be increasingly accepted, so many gastroenterology clinics are striving to work holistically, in multiprofessional teams, to manage their IBS patients.”