IBS Causes and Risk Factors

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• QWhat is post-infective irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

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  A HealthyWomen answered

  Some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) say their symptoms appear to have started shortly after a bacterial infection, such as severe gastroenteritis. Doctors have recognized this as "post-infective IBS." There is evidence that, in at least some people, infection and inflammation may play key roles in the development of symptoms. Additionally, post-infective IBS appears to be more common in women and in people under high stress. Symptoms can linger for months to years after the infection and inflammation improve.
  
  This content originally appeared on HealthyWomen.org.
• QWhat causes irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

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  A Dr. Nina Y. Singh, MD , Gastroenterology, answered on behalf of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates

  Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – also known as spastic colon, spastic colitis, mucous colitis and nervous or functional bowel – is an alteration with the way the nervous system and the gut interact.   Often people have significant abdominal pain and cramping. Some people can have diarrhea while others have constipation, and some people can alternate between the two. Very often, stress can trigger an exacerbation of irritable bowel syndrome.  Certain foods such as coffee, alcohol, spices, raw fruits, vegetables and milk, as well as infections, illnesses, and woman’s menstrual cycle can also be associated with flare-ups.

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• QWhat foods are common triggers for irritable bowel syndrome flare-ups?

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  A Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family Medicine answered

  Many foods can make symptoms of IBS worse. For instance, chocolate, milk and alcohol can cause constipation or diarrhea. Carbonated beverages and some fruits and vegetables may lead to bloating and discomfort in some people with IBS. The role of food allergy or intolerance in irritable bowel syndrome has yet to be clearly understood. If you experience cramping and bloating mainly after eating dairy products, food with caffeine, or sugar-free gum or candies, the problem may not be irritable bowel syndrome. Instead, your body may not be able to tolerate the sugar (lactose) in dairy products, caffeine or the artificial sweetener sorbitol.

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• QDoes stress cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

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  A Dr. Eugene F. Yen, MD , Gastroenterology, answered on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystem

  

  While stress can worsen someone's gastrointestinal symptoms, stress is not thought to cause IBD. Learn more from Dr. Eugene Yen on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystem about stress and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

  

  Find out more about this DVD:

  Does Stress Cause Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?
  Buy DVD

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• QWhat foods can trigger irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms?

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  A StoneSprings Hospital Center answered

  The most problematic foods for patients with IBS are fiber and dairy.

• QHow is serotonin related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

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  A Dr. Patricia L. Raymond, MD , Gastroenterology, answered

  Serotonin is one of the many chemicals that helps the gut to contract properly to produce peristalsis, the "milking" motion that moves your food from your mouth to your posterior. In addition, it is one of the chemicals in your gut responsible for the transmission of pain sensations up your spinal column to be perceived by your brain. Serotonin is found in the brain as well, but of the eight receptors specially designed to attach to serotonin, numbers 3 and 4 are in the gut, 1 and 2 are in the brain. The different drugs used for serotonin-related diseases, which include migraines and depression, as well as IBS, work solely on their designated receptors.
  
• QHow can fat trigger digestive problems in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

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  A Dr. William B. Salt, MD , Gastroenterology, answered

  Fat -- especially saturated fat -- can trigger cramping in IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and the sudden need to have a bowel movement and diarrhea by stimulating the release of chemical messenger molecules that promote gut contractions. Furthermore, bloating and distention can be triggered by fat. Finally, fat can also aggravate nausea, heartburn (GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease) and dyspepsia by slowing stomach emptying and aggravating gastroesophageal reflux.
• QHow does dietary fiber affect irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

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  A Linda Lockett-Brown , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered

  This is a tough question to answer because IBS sufferers are so individual. What affects one person may not affect another. A good idea is to keep a food log and begin with foods that are high in soluble fiber. Try adding a small amount (1/8 to 1/4c) of one food that is high in soluble fiber. Drink lots of water and see what happens in the next 72 hours. If there are no symptoms, eat the same amount of the food and wait another 72 hours. If there are no symptoms, continue the food for two weeks. If there are no symptoms you have successfully added a high soluble fiber food.

  Foods that are high in insoluble fiber like wheat bran tend to be more problematic. However, it is very individual and understandably frustrating.

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