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Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Marie L Borum, MD, EdD, MPH and Andrew F Boylan, MD Reviewed 06/2022
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • A gastrointestinal disorder characterized by: chronic and recurrent abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, distension, and alteration in bowel habits in the absence of an organic caus...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Rome IV criteria: abdominal pain >1 day/week, on average, in the previous 3 months with an onset >6 months before diagnosis

  • Abdominal pain and at least two of the following:

    • Impro...

TREATMENT

  • Goals: Relieve symptoms, improve quality of life (4). Therapy should be aimed at specific subtype of IBS.

  • Lifestyle modification

    • Exercise 3 to 5 times per week decreases severity (4).

    • Food di...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

The IBS Severity Scoring System is a validated measure to assess the severity of IBS symptoms and can help monitor response to treatment. This i...

REFERENCES

1
Ng QX, Soh AYS, Loke W, et al. The role of inflammation in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). J Inflamm Res. 2018;11:345-349.
2
Rezaie A, Park SC, Morales W, et al. Assessment of anti-vinculin ...

ADDITIONAL READING

Gastroenterologic Society of Austrialia. Low FODMAP diet. https://cart.gesa.org.au/membes/files/Consumer%20Information/Low%20FODMAP%20Diet.pdf. 

SEE ALSO

Algorithm: Diarrhea, Chronic 

CODES

ICD10

  • K58.9 Irritable bowel syndrome without diarrhea

  • K58.0 Irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea

  • K58 Irritable bowel syndrome

  • K58.1 Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation

  • K58.2 Mixed irritable ...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Use Rome IV criteria to establish the diagnosis of IBS.

  • Goals of treatment are to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

  • If patients do not respond to initial treatment, consider ...

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