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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffIt's not known exactly what causes irritable bowel syndrome. The walls of the intestines are lined with layers of muscle that contract and relax in a coordinated rhythm as they move food from your stomach through your intestinal tract to your rectum. If you have irritable bowel syndrome, the contractions may be stronger and last longer than normal. Food is forced through your intestines more quickly, causing gas, bloating and diarrhea.
In some cases, the opposite occurs. Food passage slows, and stools become hard and dry. Abnormalities in your nervous system or colon also may play a role, causing you to experience greater than normal discomfort when your abdomen stretches from gas.
Triggers bother some, not others
For reasons that still aren't clear, if you have IBS you probably react strongly to stimuli that don't bother other people. Triggers for IBS can range from gas or pressure on your intestines to certain foods, medications or emotions. For example:
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Foods. Many people find that their signs and symptoms worsen when they eat certain foods. For instance, chocolate, milk and alcohol might 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.
- Stress. If you're like most people with IBS, you probably find that your signs and symptoms are worse or more frequent during stressful events, such as a change in your daily routine or family arguments. But while stress may aggravate symptoms, it doesn't cause them.
- Hormones. Because women are twice as likely to have IBS, researchers believe that hormonal changes play a role in this condition. Many women find that signs and symptoms are worse during or around their menstrual periods.
- Other illnesses. Sometimes another illness, such as an acute episode of infectious diarrhea (gastroenteritis), can trigger IBS.
- Irritable bowel syndrome. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs/. Accessed June 2, 2009.
- Talley NJ. Irritable bowel syndrome. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/141404551-3/848454280/1389/868.html#4-u1.0-B1-4160-0245-6..50120-7_5467. Accessed June 2, 2009.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec02/ch021666/ch021666a.html. Accessed June 2, 2009.
- Wald A. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 2, 2009.
- Kligler B, et al. Probiotics. American Family Physician. 2008;78:1073.
- Chun AB, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 2, 2009.
- Saito YA. Genes and irritable bowel syndrome: Is there a link? Current Gastroenterology Reports. 2008;10:355.
- Picco MF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 6, 2009.
