ISSN: 2575-9981
Authors: Mohiuddin AK*
About 30% to 40% of adults claim to have frequent indigestion, and over 50 million visits are made annually to ambulatory care facilities for symptoms related to the digestive system. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is present in patients with symptoms of chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits but no identifiable organic etiology. IBS has a prevalence of 1% to 20% worldwide; although up to 75% affected individuals never seek care. Diagnosing IBS can be challenging due to the nonspecific nature of symptoms, overlapping upper and lower abdominal symptoms, and the frequent presence of somatic and psychological comorbidities. Up to 80% of IBS patients identify food as a possible trigger for their symptoms, so they increasingly ask for dietary and behavioral counseling. Moderate-severe IBS is estimated to account for around 60% of all IBS cases and has been shown to impose a considerable burden on patients. It is estimated that IBS-C accounts for around 30% of IBS cases. The economic burden of IBS in the US is estimated at $28 billion annually; a portion of these costs may be related to unnecessary and high-frequency tests, although few studies have assessed the factors underlying frequent tests and procedures among patients with IBS. 32% of IBS-C patients suffer depression as their condition almost every day in the previous month. Sexual dysfunction is positively associated with perceived GI symptom severity and HRQoL.
Keywords: Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Low-FODMAP; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Chinese Herbal Medicine; Brain–gut axis
