What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or as it is sometimes called Spastic Colon or Mucous Colitis or Spastic Colitis or Nervous Stomach or Irritable Colon, is a functional disorder and not a disease. A functional disorder refers to a problem with the functioning of a particular organ within the body, in this case, the Bowel.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects up to 20% of the population. In fact, it is one of the most common conditions diagnosed by gastroenterologists. However, as with a number of complaints, it is common for patients to be reluctant to come forward due to the area of the body it concerns.

For the vast majority of patients, it is a chronic condition, however, the symptoms may vary in their strength from being a mild inconvenience to being quite debilitating.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome refers to the muscles within the bowel contracting stronger and for longer than is normal. This causes food to be passed through the intestine quicker than it should which will show itself in a number of symptoms.

What are the Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are quite uncomfortable in the main. However, one of the problems with diagnosing it, is the problem that the symptoms for Irritable Bowel Syndrome are the same as for other digestive conditions.

The symptoms are as follows

Crampy pain in the stomach
Painful diarrhea or constipation (or sometimes both)
Mucus in your stools
Swollen or blocked abdomen
Feeling that you haven