Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Also known as Spastic Colon, Spastic Colitis, Mucous Colitis
There are many names for the same condition. Whatever
it is called, the main thing to remember is:
- The cause is unknown.
- It is a disturbing but never fatal or
even serious condition.
- It is not an infection. It cannot be caught from others or
given to others.
- There is no known surgical
or medical cure.
- The symptoms can be considerably improved.
The Cause and Symptoms
Normal bowel acts in
a co-ordinated way called peristalsis. This squeezes the bowel
content along to the rectum in waves and causes regular bowel
evacuation.
With Irritable Bowel Syndrome the muscles
in the bowel wall become uncoordinated. They may cause cramps,
urgency, diarrhoea or constipation. The abdomen may feel bloated.
The motions may be loose or alternatively hard or very small,
sometimes called “rabbity”.
The patient becomes concerned and may believe
that there is a physical blockage due to cancer.
DIAGNOSIS
As Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not
a dangerous condition, the doctor is largely concerned
with eliminating the possibility of
other and more serious diagnoses. For instance, bleeding
does not occur with Irritable Bowel
Syndrome. Clearly, if there is bleeding, another
cause must be suspected. The doctor
checks that there are no lumps in the abdomen. Anaemia (unusual
pallor) has to be excluded.
Tests include, the examination of
the blood and more importantly, an examination of the
inside of the bowel. The most effective
way of doing
this is by colonoscopy (looking inside
the bowel
with colour television). This would
effectively
demonstrate true bowel disease such
as cancer,
colonic
polyps, diverticulitis or
inflammation of
the bowel.
TREATMENT
As there is no known
cause, the treatment must be supportive. It is known that
certain lifestyles worsen the
syndrome and should be avoided. These are:
- Stress
- Smoking
- Excessive Alcohol
- An excess of strong coffee
- Sometimes milk products cause
symptoms
All these
factors need to be avoided
or at
least
moderated. Helpful
diets include
roughage and
plenty of water.
This should ease
the passage
of
material through
the bowel. Roughage
can
be
increased by
adding unprocessed
wheat-bran or
psyllium to the
diet. Stress
can be relieved
by
counselling and
possibly by changing
the factors
which cause the
stress. A most
important
aspect in stress
relief is the
reassurance (after
investigation)
that there is
no cancer
in the
bowel. There
are many
medications
which a
doctor might
recommend to
the patient.
These
tend to alter
the muscle contractions
in the
bowel and thus
reduce distressing
symptoms.
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