IBS Causes
A Brief List of IBS Causes
IBS causes range from foods to stress to lifestyle choices. There are many contributing factors to IBS. IBS is a condition that is considered long-term, and that causes discomfort or pain in the abdomen, as well as differing bowel habits. IBS can be detected at any age, but generally people show their symptoms first between ages fifteen and forty. Women are almost twice as likely to suffer from IBS as men.
IBS causes are speculated upon, but are not known with 100% accuracy. Most likely, from all the information gathered, its cause is a combination of several issues. Generally, it is thought that the causes include more strong or frequent contractions of the bowel's muscular walls. The causes also are believed to include an increased sensitivity to the gas level in your bowel, as well as your genetic history with respect to IBS-type symptoms. Stress and psychological issues may also trigger IBS symptoms, and are listed as possible IBS causes.
After you eat, or if you are under undue stress, you may notice that your symptoms worsen. Stress can come from many sources, including anxieties at work, economic woes, relationship issues, or life-altering events like a death in the family, or a divorce. If you take NSAID pain relievers like ibuprofen, it may make your symptoms worse, not better. Antibiotics can have the same negative effect.
To diagnose your symptoms and find the IBS causes in your specific case, your health care professional will examine you, and ask about the symptoms you are experiencing. He may also gather pertinent information from your medical history.
Your doctor will ask when your pain comes and goes, what makes it feel worse – or better. He may also inquire about your bowel movements, and do some blood work on you.
Generally, your doctor will be able to tell you if IBS causes your pain and bloating, or not. If you are over the age of fifty, or have additional or unusual symptoms, he may ask for more tests.
Your physician may look inside your bowel with an endoscope, to determine if your problem actually is IBS. He may also take a biopsy at this time, so that he can rule out other conditions.
Your doctor may feel that the pain that IBS causes you may actually be brought on by an infection. If he thinks so, he will ask for a stool sample, which will be sent to a laboratory for further testing. He may also order a barium enema or an abdominal X-ray, which will show if you have any areas of the colon that are ulcerated or inflamed.
As you have seen, there are several possible IBS causes, and researchers are still looking into each possibility, and treating IBS sufferers to help improve their quality of life.