However, their management is quite different.
Getting a diagnosis is key to getting treatment.
How Are Symptoms Different?
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IBSand IBD have some similar symptoms.
However, each disorder also presents differently among different people.
One difference is that with IBS, abdominal pain improves after a bowel movement.
Each form is treated with slightly different medications and surgeries.
Causes
The causes of both IBS and IBD are poorly understood.
More than one factor may lead to the onset of these disorders.
IBS
IBS has many causes, and developing IBS might result from one or more factors.
Key to this is the brain-gut interaction.
Your brain and gut have two-way communication through the nervous system, which is essential for normal functioning.
It’s thought that IBS results from changes to the nervous system and its role in digestive functions.
Together, these factors lead to an inappropriate inflammatory response centered on the digestive system.
IBS is diagnosed by applying standard criteria to a person’s history of symptoms and physical exam.
The Rome Criteriaare used to diagnose IBS based on the symptoms the person experiences.
The most important symptom is abdominal pain at least one day each week during the previous three months.
An endoscopy procedure, such as a colonoscopy, does not diagnose IBS.
It will not show any disease because IBS does not cause inflammation.
Blood in the stool, fever, and weight loss are not IBS symptoms.
IBD causes ulcers and inflammation in the digestive system.
Diagnosing IBD may also include stool tests, a CT scan, and/or an MRI.
People can have both IBD and IBS.
Some people with IBD in remission (the disease is no longer active) could still have symptoms.
The cause of those symptoms could be IBS.
Treatment Differences
Medications for managing IBS and IBD differ.
Surgery is one treatment for IBD, but it is not used for IBS.
The bang out of IBS dictates the medications used.
When they become troublesome or last for more than a few days, seek care from a healthcare provider.
Abdominal pain is another reason to see a healthcare provider.
If the pain is sudden and severe, head to a hospital emergency department.
IBD causes inflammation that leads to a host of possible effects both inside and outside of the digestive system.
It is diagnosed with testing that includes endoscopy, blood work, and sometimes other imaging.
IBS causes bloating, pain, diarrhea and/or constipation, but it does not cause inflammation.
IBS and IBD are managed with different medications and lifestyle changes, making it essential to get a diagnosis.
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