IBS: your questions answered

We asked Simon Darnley, author of Understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome, to answer member's questions about IBS on our Allergies & Special Diets board

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition that affects between 10 and 20 per cent of the UK population. According to NHS Direct, it is most commonly suffered between the ages of 20 and 30 and is twice as common in women as in men. Symptoms include regular abdominal pain, sporadic diarrhoea and often alternating constipation.

Cl-bettybaby - 'What are the main symptoms of IBS?'

Simon: The most common symptoms of IBS are:

• Pain and discomfort that may occur in different parts of the abdomen. Pain usually 'comes and goes'. The length of each bout of pain can vary greatly. The pain often eases when you pass stools or wind. Many people with IBS describe the pain as a 'spasm'. The severity of the pain can vary from mild to severe, both from person to person, and from time to time in the same person.
• Bloating and swelling of the abdomen may develop from time to time. You may pass more wind than usual.
• Some people have bouts of diarrhoea, and some have bouts of constipation.
• Sometimes the stools become small and pellet like. Sometimes the stools become watery or ribbony. At times, mucus may be mixed with the stools.
• People often have a feeling of not emptying their rectum after going to the toilet.
• Some people have urgency, which means you have to get to the toilet quickly. A 'morning rush' is common. This is often during and after breakfast.
• Other symptoms sometimes occur and include: nausea, headache, belching, poor appetite, tiredness, back ache, muscle pains, feeling quickly 'full' after eating, heartburn, and bladder symptoms (an associated 'irritable bladder').
• Some people have occasional mild symptoms. Others have unpleasant symptoms for long periods. Many people fall somewhere in between, with flare-ups of symptoms from time to time.

Some doctors group people with IBS into one of three categories:

1. Those with abdominal pain or discomfort, and the other symptoms are mainly bloating and constipation.
2. Those with abdominal pain or discomfort, and the other symptoms are mainly urgency to get to the toilet and diarrhoea.
3. Those who alternate between constipation and diarrhoea.

However, in practice, many people will not fall neatly into any one category, and considerable overlap occurs.

Please note: passing blood is not a symptom of IBS. You should tell a doctor if you pass blood.