Also known as irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colitis or IBS, irritable bowel syndrome affects women more frequently than men (female patients are about twice as many as male patients) and is often associated with to psychological disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
For further information: Irritable Colon: What it is and Causes ) and a series of investigations (including laboratory tests, instrumental tests, etc.) aimed at excluding all pathologies that, from a symptomatic point of view, resemble irritable colon (NB: proceed by exclusion, in order to identify a disease , is a practice known as differential diagnosis).
Unfortunately, at the present time, there is no diagnostic test that allows to specifically identify the irritable colon; in other words, a specific diagnostic test is missing, such as the biopsy in case of a neoplasm.
attenuated by the evacuation, the presence of mucus in the stool, the feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestine after each evacuation, the change in the consistency of the stool and abdominal swelling.According to the Rome Criteria, an individual suffers from irritable bowel syndrome if, for at least 12 weeks (even non-consecutive) spread over a period of 12 consecutive months, has complained of abdominal pain or discomfort, characterized by at least two of the following three phenomena:
- Relief of painful sensation after evacuation and / or
- Changes in the frequency of bowel movements and / or
- Changes in the consistency of the stool.
Again according to i Rome Criteria, the presence of other symptoms, such as abdominal swelling, presence of mucus in the stool, feeling of incomplete evacuation, etc., is important, but not fundamental or significant from a diagnostic point of view.
Manning's criteria
- Abdominal pain eased by evacuation.
- Presence of liquid stools at the onset of pain.
- Increased frequency of bowel movements at the onset of pain.
- Abdominal swelling.
- Presence of mucus in the stool in at least 25% of bowel movements.
- Feeling of incomplete bowel emptying in at least 25% of bowel movements.
Rome Criteria
For at least 3 continuous months:
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
For at least 12 weeks (even non-consecutive) over a period of 12 consecutive months:
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
And the presence of at least 1 of the following phenomena:
- Pain relieved by evacuation;
- Variations in the frequency of bowel movements;
- Changes in the consistency of the stool.
And the presence of at least 2 of the following phenomena:
- Pain relieved by evacuation;
- Changes in the frequency of bowel movements;
- Changes in the consistency of the stool.
Or the presence of at least 2 of the following phenomena:
- Altered form of stool;
- Impaired passage of stool (eg: feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestine);
- Presence of mucus in the stool;
- Bloating or abdominal tension.
Additional striking features:
- Altered form of stool;
- Impaired passage of stool (eg: feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestine);
- Presence of mucus in the stool;
- Bloating or abdominal tension.
As you can guess, this is a somewhat invasive procedure.
Although it is painless, it is still one of the slightly invasive diagnostic practices, as it involves exposing the patient to a dose of ionizing radiation that is harmful to the human body.
Although it is painless, it is to be considered an invasive test, as it exposes the patient to a non-negligible dose of ionizing radiation.
Readers are reminded that the lack or reduced capacity of lactose digestion, due to the absence of the lactase enzyme, leads to symptoms such as: abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea following the ingestion of milk and derivatives.
If nothing significant emerges from these laboratory and imaging tests, and if symptoms meet Manning's criteria or Rome Criteria, the possibility that the patient under investigation suffers from irritable bowel syndrome is highly concrete.
