If you’ve picked up this book, then it is quite likely that you or a friend, a coworker, or someone in your family has irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I can safely make that statement because 1 in 6 to 1 in 7 adult Americans suffers from this problem. Although the condition is quite common, people who have IBS have often found it difficult to get help for their symptoms or answers to their questions. Fortunately, over the past 10 years, significant advances have been made in our understanding of IBS. We now have a much clearer picture of why IBS develops, and we also better understand the very complex interactions that occur between the brain and the gut in patients who have IBS. In addition, researchers, scientists, and physicians have made significant contributions to our ability to manage the multiple symptoms of this often frustrating disorder.
Because education of patients and health care providers about IBS has been limited, I wanted to write this book to share this wealth of new information with more people. The book has several goals:
• to convey what we currently understand about IBS
• to clear up the many misconceptions and misperceptions that surround IBS
• to help you recognize the symptoms of IBS
• to describe tests that may be used during the evaluation of IBS symptoms
• to discuss the many treatment options available for the diverse symptoms of IBS
• to provide information that will allow people who have IBS to better understand their symptoms, institute changes, and improve their quality of life.
To accomplish these goals, I have divided this book into four parts. Part 1 provides a general introduction to the disorder. Part 2 focuses on the evaluation and diagnosis of a patient who has symptoms of IBS. Part 3 focuses on the treatment of IBS, and Part 4 discusses children who have IBS and the future for IBS treatments and education. Terms used in the book are defined in a glossary at the back, and at the front of the book is a list of abbreviations. There is also a short appendix about the design and importance of clinical studies.
I hope that this book will answer your many questions about IBS and allow you to make sense of this common disorder.