There are some people ate cold things, spicy things or drink a certain kind of drink, and some people mental tension, there will be stomach pain, diarrhea, after going to the toilet stomach pain will be better, and after a period of time, will appear similar situation, this situation is likely to be irritable bowel syndrome. So what is irritable bowel syndrome? How should it be diagnosed and treated? What is irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome is a common functional gastrointestinal disease, in the gastroenterology outpatient clinic accounted for about 30%, the prevalence rate in urban China is about 10.5%, is the second most common disease after the cold. Irritable bowel syndrome used to be called mucous colitis, colonic spasm, colonic allergy, allergic colitis, irritable colon, etc., and now it is uniformly named irritable bowel syndrome, which is characterized by abdominal pain and discomfort that cannot be explained by structural abnormality and biochemical examination abnormality, accompanied by intestinal dysfunction characterized by changes in bowel habits as the main symptom group. What is the etiology of irritable bowel syndrome The etiology of irritable bowel syndrome is quite complex, and is currently believed to be the result of a combination of factors, among which genetic factors, abnormal regulation of the brain-intestinal axis, visceral hypersensitivity, abnormalities of gastrointestinal tract dynamics and intestinal flora dysbiosis are the main pathogenic basis. Dietary factors, mental and psychological factors, intestinal infections and immune factors are the main triggers for the development of irritable bowel syndrome. What are the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome? Typical symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome have four major manifestations, including abdominal pain, abdominal distension, diarrhea or constipation. Abdominal pain: Most often occurs after eating, can occur in any part of the abdomen, the lower abdomen and the left lower abdomen is most common, lasts for several minutes to several hours, abdominal pain can be relieved after defecation or defecation. It is often triggered by cold or cold food, greasy or irritating food, or mental tension in the abdomen, and does not occur during sleep. Abdominal distension: obvious during the day, relieved at night after sleep, usually the abdominal circumference does not increase. Diarrhea: usually occurs early in the morning or after eating, 3 to 5 times a day, stools are mostly thin and mushy, or soft or thin watery stools, with white or transparent mucus in the stools, but diarrhea will not affect the night rest. Constipation: Difficulty in defecation, dry stools, small amount of stools, goat dung or chestnut-like, often with a feeling of incompletion after defecation. In addition, about 1/4 to half of the patients are accompanied by indigestion, burning pain in the epigastrium, heartburn, nausea and vomiting. It can also be accompanied by depression, anxiety, nervousness, paranoia, hostility and other mental symptoms, and often accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, excessive sweating and other autonomic dysfunction. How to diagnose Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a group of intestinal dysfunction syndromes that often cannot be diagnosed by objective methods such as CT, ultrasound, or blood and urine tests, and doctors can only diagnose it by exclusion. According to the international Rome IV diagnostic criteria, there are two main points: the first is the duration of the disease is more than 6 months, in the past 3 months, repeated abdominal pain, at least one day a week abdominal pain. It is accompanied by two or more of the following abnormal changes: ① with repeated episodes of abdominal pain. ② The attack is accompanied by a change in the frequency of defecation. (iii) The episodes are accompanied by a change in the character of the feces. The second is the lack of morphological changes and biochemical abnormalities that could explain the symptoms. The easiest way to rule out organic diseases that can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea is to do a colonoscopy. However, caution must be exercised in diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome if there are alarming signs such as: age over 50, gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss. What are the characteristics of irritable bowel syndrome One is the high incidence of the disease, about 1/3 of the general population has experienced it. The second is that it is predominantly young and middle-aged, with onset occurring in the twenties to fifties, and is usually more common in females than in males. Third, the course of the disease is relatively long, usually lasting several months or even years. Fourth, the onset of the disease is slow, intermittent episodes, often with periods of remission, that is, the symptoms are sometimes light and sometimes heavy, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Fifth, the diversity of symptoms, that is, the same disease, different people can have different performance. According to the main symptoms are divided into: diarrhea type, constipation type, mixed type and indeterminate type. Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder related to a variety of factors, and there is no ideal treatment plan, so the treatment is based on improving the symptoms, quality of life, and eliminating concerns, and medication is only an auxiliary treatment. The first step is to learn to relax stress and control emotions. Psychological factors have a significant impact on gastrointestinal function, anxiety, depression and other emotions may trigger irritable bowel syndrome, therefore, patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome should adjust their mindset, do not be overly anxious when things go wrong, so as to reduce the frequency or degree of symptoms. Secondly, attention should be paid to dietary modification. If it is mainly diarrhea type, you need to pay attention to avoid the stimulation of sensitive food, such as cold food or spicy food, etc. This requires the patient to find out or control which kind of food is sensitive. If it is mainly constipation type, it is necessary to eat more vegetables and fruits, coarse grains, legumes and bacteria and algae food, which can increase the intake of soluble dietary fiber and stimulate the movement of the colon. It is also necessary to eat less FODMAP food, that is, less food that is difficult to absorb and easy to ferment, such as fructose, lactose, polyols, fructans, low-lactose galactose and so on. Finally, medication is symptomatic. Although it can reduce the symptoms, but can not prevent recurrence, so should be reasonable use of drugs, and avoid abuse of drugs, it is best to use under the guidance of a doctor. Commonly used drugs include drugs that regulate gastrointestinal dynamics and probiotics, which can also be used for symptomatic treatment according to different symptoms. Self-determination of whether it is irritable bowel syndrome 1, whether it is accompanied by changes in bowel habits? Diarrhea is characterized by loose, mushy and unformed stools, or loose watery stools, often with mucus, but no pus or blood. Constipation is characterized by dry stools, small amount of stools, in the form of sheep’s dung or thin rods, with mucus on the surface, mostly accompanied by a feeling of bloating or a feeling of incomplete defecation, and a few are accompanied by dyspepsia. 2.Is there any symptom of abdominal pain, which is recurring and improves after defecation? The location of the pain is variable, usually in the lower abdomen or lower left abdomen, and can be relieved after defecation or urination. Abdominal pain usually occurs during the day or after meals, and rarely occurs at night during sleep. 3.Has the above situation lasted for more than 6 months? 4.Does the above situation occur at least 3 days a month in the last 3 months? If these 4 conditions are met, it may be Irritable Bowel Syndrome.