Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/28/2021 --Although it affects roughly 15 percent of the American population, those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome often feel alone, frustrated and in pain — especially when the road to diagnosis feels long.

"Despite its prevalence, it's a tough diagnosis to make," says Dr. Todd Garrett, internal medicine physician with Intermountain Cedar City Hospital in Utah. "Unlike diabetes or high blood pressure or something that you can run a blood test and get a diagnosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is typically diagnosed on the basis of exclusion, relying on a constellation of symptoms and ruling out potential causes. There's just no specific test or measurement that says, 'this is IBS.'"

Patients typically present with complaints of abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, or variable combinations. Depending on the symptoms, the diagnostic process often includes a referral to a Gastroenterology team member to consider and potentially rule out other gastrointestinal causes, such as stomach ulcers, Celiac Sprue, Microscopic colitis, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis).

"IBS symptoms can be similar to Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis, but those conditions have pathologic and microscopic abnormalities that indicate the presence of the inflammatory bowel disease," Dr. Garrett says. "With IBS, the person's colon typically will appear normal."

There is no specific age of onset for IBS. There are some patients who are diagnosed early in life, for instance as a teenager, and there are others who are not diagnosed until they are older. With some patients, as they look back, they realize they've likely had symptoms for years.

Part of the diagnostic criteria is that a patient should have experienced abdominal pain at least once a week for three months, usually associated with changes to bowel frequency or consistency, Dr. Garrett says.

Typically, IBS symptoms tend to happen during the day and do not wake patients up from sleep, so if a person is experiencing nocturnal symptoms, or if there is a family history of other gastrointestinal conditions (such as gastrointestinal cancer, Celiac, Crohn's, or Ulcerative colitis), they will want to seek treatment sooner, Dr. Garrett says.

Once the IBS diagnosis is made, the news can be met with mixed feelings from patients. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is often a lifelong gastrointestinal condition. There is no one specific treatment since IBS represents a wide spectrum of potential symptoms. The good news is, there are effective treatments and IBS is manageable over time.

Depending on the patient's symptoms, the physician will likely prescribe dietary and lifestyle changes to combat IBS symptoms. For example, some patients find it helpful to eat smaller, more frequent meals; others do well by avoiding lactose, gluten or other trigger foods.

"We try to avoid foods that produce a lot of gas like beans, onions, celery, and carrots," Dr. Garrett says. "Those can often make symptoms worse."

It's important to note that each patient presents with their own set of triggers, meaning that just because one patient is sensitive to a certain kind of food doesn't necessarily mean every IBS patient will need to avoid that same kind of food.

"There are general guidelines we follow that tend to help, but patients can help find their own triggers too," Dr. Garrett says.

After exploring dietary modifications, the next step is to consider medications.

Unlike some colon-related diagnoses, patient with IBS are not at any greater risk for more serious diseases, such as colon cancer, Dr. Garrett says.

However, Dr. Garrett says there are some red flags to watch for, including:

- weight loss with any of these symptoms
- excessive amounts of blood in the stool
- iron deficiency anemia
- persistent or progressive abdominal pain symptoms

Beyond that, Dr. Garrett says Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms tend to wax and wane. While IBS is often a lifelong problem, dietary modifications, along with pharmacological treatments when necessary, and teamwork with care team members can help keep symptoms under control over time.

About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,600 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs.