Javed Iqbal Farooqi, Rukhsana Javed Farooqi.
A New Era in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;11(9):585-91.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a major problem for both health professionals and patients. The worldwide prevalence of IBS is 15-20% among adults. However, prevalence figures vary somewhat geographically, mainly because of differences in the symptom-based criteria used for diagnosis of IBS. Longstanding symptoms of abdominal pain, altered bowel function, urgency to defecate, bloating and a feeling of incomplete evacuation in the absence of structural or biochemical abnormality characterize the syndrome. Over last few decades, there have been major advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of IBS. We have moved from a simple emphasis on abnormal motor function to an appreciation of the importance of visceral hyperalgesia, brain-gut interaction, and more recently 5-hydroxytrytamine-mediated visceral sensitivity and gut motility. Diagnostic techniques have also evolved (from the Manning criteria of the 1970s, through the Kruis criteria to today`s Rome and Rome 11 guidelines), but the need for further evaluation, using sigmoidoscopy, stool examination, blood studies, and imaging techniques, remains a grey area. There is also room for improvement on the available treatment options, which are best of only potential value. An effective standard therapeutic approach remains to be devised.

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