Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS affects 7 to 16% of the U.S. population, with subtypes characterized by diarrhea, constipation, or both. Patients may have a response to dietary modification, and an effective doctor–patient relationship may increase symptom control. The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic and sometimes disabling functional bowel disorder. 1 , 2 Traditionally, this functional diagnostic label has been applied when no obvious structural or biochemical abnormalities are found, but emerging evidence suggests that distinct pathophysiological disturbances may account for the symptoms and that IBS is unlikely to be one disease or merely a psychiatric (somatosensory) disorder. 2 The Rome IV criteria, 1 derived from a consensus process by a multinational group of experts in functional gastrointestinal disorders, constitute the current standard for diagnosing IBS. According to these criteria, IBS is diagnosed on the basis of recurrent abdominal pain . . .