Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

Symptoms

The Symptoms irritable bowel syndrome are initially harmless, but are often associated with a more or less limited quality of life for those affected. Characteristic of the discomfort in one Irritable bowel syndrome is that they usually completely disappear during the night, so unlike many other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the patient does not wake up from pain at night.

Taken individually, the individual symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are not very characteristic, but taken together they often give an almost typical picture.

The extent of the discomfort Irritable bowel syndrome differs from person to person and can change significantly even for the same person within a day and / or over the course of several weeks and months. The main symptom of irritable bowel syndrome stomach pain which can be either stinging or cramp-like and can appear in very different places. In many of those affected, the stomach feels very inflated and tense, which is the result of too much air or gas in the intestine. That may lead to Flatulence (Meteorism). In addition to the pain that comes from within, many also suffer from an increased pain sensitivity to mechanical stimuli that come in from outside.

These abdominal pain are always accompanied by changed bowel habits, based on which irritable bowel syndrome can be divided into different subgroups. When the patient especially at diarrhea suffer, one speaks of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, if they predominantly Constipation suffer, one speaks of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and if abdominal pain in particular dominates the clinical picture, one speaks of pain-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. In many of those affected, however, there are also mixed forms.

Depending on the type of irritable bowel syndrome, you will of course also find the corresponding symptoms: diarrhea or constipation, which can also occur alternately, with mucus often being added to the stool. Defecation itself is often painful and often the feeling remains that the bowel is not completely emptied even after a bowel movement. By definition, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome improve after defecation.
The disease is often accompanied by increased and loudly audible bowel noises. Some patients also develop symptoms of an upset stomach, such as a feeling of fullness after eating, which leads to pain in the upper abdomen. In addition, several aspects of defecation may be altered, with at least two being required in order for one to be of one Irritable bowel syndrome speaks: changed frequency or composition of the stool (mushy, watery or hard), difficult defecation, increased need to defecate or the feeling of incomplete evacuation.

Concomitant symptoms are those complaints that do not affect the digestive tract itself, but are very often associated with irritable bowel syndrome. First and foremost, mental or psychosomatic disorders should be mentioned here, such as depressions, Anxiety disorders or sleep disorders. In addition, one often finds a general exhaustion, tiredness and also difficulty concentrating in patients. In addition, many also complain of stomach aches and headaches migraine or Back pain. Irritable bowel syndrome is not uncommon in women Menstrual pain socialized.

The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are sometimes very unspecific and can be found in a similar or even the same form in many other diseases, which, however, manifest themselves organically and therefore also in a different one treatment need. These include primarily inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, and benign (polyps) or malignant (cancer) neoplasms, which for a given reason must be excluded before the diagnosis is "irritable bowel syndrome".