David February 12th, 2006

If you think you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, seeing your doctor is the first step. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is generally diagnosed on the basis of a complete medical history that includes a careful description of symptoms and a physical examination.

No particular test is specific for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. However, diagnostic tests may be performed to rule out other diseases. These tests may include stool or blood tests, x rays, or endoscopy (viewing the colon through a flexible tube inserted through the anus). If these tests are all negative, the doctor may diagnose Irritable Bowel Syndrome based on your symptoms: that is, how often you have had abdominal pain or discomfort during the past year, when the pain starts and stops in relation to bowel function, and how your bowel frequency and stool consistency are altered.

Criteria for Diagnosis
Abdominal pain or discomfort for at least 12 weeks out of the previous 12 months. These 12 weeks do not have to be consecutive.

The abdominal pain or discomfort has two of the following three features:

• It is relieved by having a bowel movement.
• When it starts, there is a change in how often you have a bowel movement.
• When it starts, there is a change in the form of the stool or the way it looks.

Popularity: 14% [?]

• IBS Symptoms
• Comments(0)