What Causes IBS and Are You at Risk?
6/1/2023
The GI disorder called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can significantly impact your daily life in many ways. Inciting issues in your large intestine, stomach, and surrounding areas of the digestive tract, IBS generally causes discomforting and, at times, distressing symptoms.
At Digestive Health Center, we understand the difficult symptoms this condition can have on your overall health, contentment, and welfare. Our GI providers routinely treat IBS in Ocean Springs, MS patients and will work with you to help ease its effects. Keep reading to learn the root cause of this GI condition and see if you could be at risk.
How can IBS develop?
The exact cause of IBS is not known. It’s thought to result from an interference between the brain, which controls gut function, and the gastrointestinal system, which is why many gastroenterologists to call it “the brain-gut disorder.” This disconnect could produce movement issues in a person’s digestive tract, causing the muscles to move food through the digestive system too slowly or too quickly. IBS is also called “spastic colon” as a result of the spasms in the colon that may accompany this condition.
A variety of factors may trigger irritable bowel syndrome, including:
- Intestinal infections (bacterial or viral gastroenteritis)
- Caffeinated beverages such as coffee and soda
- Drinking alcohol
- Spicy or fatty foods
- Stressful situations
- Changes in the microbial makeup of the intestines
- Fluctuations in your hormones
Recognizing IBS triggers and your chance of developing this condition helps you better manage your body’s reception if you become diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.
What are the risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome?
IBS is a convoluted gastrointestinal disorder. Therefore, many attributes could combine to result in IBS’s beginning or return. A few factors that may create a risk in your risk of IBS include:
- Age: People of almost every age may get irritable bowel syndrome; however, it typically starts during the teenage years or early adulthood. It is less common to develop in adults 50 and older.
- Mental health: Anxiety and depression can increase your chances of the condition.
- Being female: IBS is nearly twice as prevalent in women than men.
- Lifestyle: Poor diet, not exercising, use of tobacco and/or alcohol, and obesity can all elevate your risk of IBS.
- Familial history: Some people might be genetically at a greater risk of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
If you are worried you may be at risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome or any other digestive health concerns, we encourage you to schedule an appointment at a Digestive Health Center location near you.
What are the symptoms of IBS?
Irritable bowel syndrome markers can vary from one patient to the next. Commonly, IBS symptoms in women will differ from IBS symptoms in men and will even differ in intensity. Most individuals with IBS will have mild effects. A great deal of the common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are:
- Gas
- Bloating
- Mucus in the stool
- Abdominal discomfort
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Cramping in the abdomen
- Constipation
If you have any of these symptoms or distinguish a shift in your bathroom tendencies, it’s essential to meet with a physician. Our GI team in Ocean Springs, MS can analyze your symptoms to verify if IBS is causing them.
How is IBS treated?
While preventing IBS won’t always be possible, action can be taken to lessen the effects. Handling irritable bowel syndrome often involves the long-term management of associated symptoms to control the condition. Soothing your symptoms and dealing with irritable bowel syndrome may require lifestyle changes, including adding high-fiber foods into your diet, getting your daily water intake, exercising daily, and understanding and staying away from the IBS triggers. Some medicines may also help alleviate symptoms, such as anti-nausea, anticholinergic, anti-diarrheal, and antidepressant medications. Fiber supplements or laxatives could be prescribed to help take care of commonly associated issues that often elicit the condition.
Receive irritable bowel syndrome treatment in Ocean Springs, MS
More than causing annoying symptoms, IBS makes many people feel disappointed and resigned. But it is possible to experience relief from this chronic problem. The team of gastroenterologists at Digestive Health Center can provide care for IBS and is here to help usher you to an enhanced quality of life. To learn more about IBS, irritable bowel syndrome self-care, or to meet a GI doctor who provides treatment for this condition in Ocean Springs, MS, contact our team to request an appointment.