IBS Flashcards
When should you consider a diagnosis of IBS?
The diagnosis of IBS should be considered if the patient has had the following for at least 6 months:
- abdominal pain, and/or
- bloating, and/or
- change in bowel habit
What si needed for a diagnosis of IBS?
A diagnosis of IBS should be considered only if the person has abdominal pain or discomfort that is either relieved by defecation or associated with altered bowel frequency or stool form. This should be accompanied by at least two of the following four symptoms:
- altered stool passage (straining, urgency, incomplete evacuation)
- abdominal bloating (more common in women than men), distension, tension or hardness
- symptoms made worse by eating
- passage of mucus.
Other features such as lethargy, nausea, backache and bladder symptoms are common in people with IBS, and may be used to support the diagnosis
For people who meet the criteria for a +ve IBS diagnosis, What further tests should be undertaken to exclude other pathology?
- full blood count (FBC)
- erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or plasma viscosity
- c‑reactive protein (CRP)
- antibody testing for coeliac disease (endomysial antibodies [EMA] or tissue transglutaminase [TTG]).
What is the management of IBS?
- Lifestyle → diet, stress, etc
* Medical management depends on the presenting symptoms → eg. Loperamide for diarrhoea, lactulose for constipation
What test is used to differentiate between IBS and IBD?
Faecal calprotectin
