+1-617-394-8820 contact@baybiosciences.com

Differences Between IBS and IBD

by | May 3, 2022 | Info | 0 comments

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Vs Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

 

It’s easy to get irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) mixed up.

Both are chronic conditions that cause abdominal Pain, cramping, and urgent bowel movements. But despite having similar acronyms and symptoms, these two diseases are very different.

IBS is a disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. IBD is inflammation or destruction of the bowel wall, which can lead to sores and narrowing of the intestines. It’s possible to have both IBD and IBS.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a broad term that refers to chronic swelling (inflammation) of the intestines. IBD is often confused with the noninflammatory condition irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Although the two disorders share similar names and some of the same symptoms, they have key differences.

IBD and IBS are distinctly different conditions. Still, a patient who has been diagnosed with one may display symptoms of the other. It’s also important to know that you can have both conditions at the same time. Both are considered chronic (ongoing) conditions.

Although both conditions can occur in anyone at any age, they seem to run in families.

What is Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term for a group of disorders characterized by prolonged inflammation  in various parts of the digestive tract. The most common form of IBD is ulcerative colitis.

The two main conditions that are classified as IBD are:

  • Ulcerative colitis (UC):  A lifelong disease that is characterized by recurring episodes of inflammation in the mucosal layer of the colon. It commonly involves the rectum and may extend to other parts of the colon.
  • Chron’s disease (CD): Crohn’s is another form of IBD, indeterminate colitis, is diagnosed when tests cannot at first distinguish which form of IBD it is. Most cases of indeterminate colitis eventually evolve to a diagnosis of either CD or UC.

For both of these conditions, no cure is currently available, but they can be managed with medication and appropriate diet.

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)  is a chronic functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. People with IBS show no clinical signs of a disease and often have normal test results.

IBS affects the lower GI area, which includes the small intestine, large intestine, and colon. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) experience chronic diarrhea, constipation, and in some cases both.

For years, IBS patients have complained to doctors about having gas, bloated, and constipated. Many were dismissed or told they were stressed out or needed psychological interventions, not medical treatment.

Up to 70% of IBS patients have experienced severe food poisoning, which is the primary cause of the disease.

IBS has physical symptoms, but the causes aren‘t currently well understood. Researchers are currently looking into some potential causes, such as:

  • A reaction from a previous infection 
  • Bacterial overgrowth
  • Food intolerances (such as fructose, lactose, sucrose, or gluten)
  • Stress

Depending on the main symptoms, patients with IBS patients receive a diagnosis of one of the following three disease classifications:

Sometimes, IBS symptoms are called mucous colitis or spastic colitis, but those names are technically incorrect. Colitis is an inflammation of the colon, and IBS does not cause inflammation.

Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Vs Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Most of the symptoms for IBS and IBD overlap, which sometimes makes diagnosis more complex and difficult IBS is characterized by a combination of the following conditions:

  • Abdominal pain and cramps
  • bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine
  • a feeling of incomplete evacuation
  • Bloating and diarrhea 
  • Urgent bowel movements

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can also cause similar symptoms in patients as Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as the following:

If you have symptoms of either IBS, IBD, or both, be sure to discuss your concerns with a doctor or a gastroenterologist.


Location of Pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Vs Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Abdominal pain is a common symptom of both IBS and IBD. With IBD, the patient  experience pain in other parts of the body, too.

Chron’s disease, one of the main forms of IBD, usually causes pain in the lower right side of your belly. The other main form, ulcerative colitis, usually leads to pain in the left side of the belly.

In IBS disease, patients usually experience pain or cramps in the lower half of your belly.


IBS Pain

Abdominal pain is the most common symptom reported by people with IBS. Research shows 3 out of 4 people with IBS report either continuous or frequent abdominal pain.

The pain is most often felt in the lower abdomen, though it can occur anywhere in the belly. The type and severity of pain can vary, even within a single day. Types and locations of IBS pain often include:

  • Upper abdomen pain may get worse after eating and is often accompanied by bloating.
  • Middle abdomen pain centers in the belly area and is often felt as cramping.
  • Lower abdomen pain usually decreases after a bowel movement.

Patients with IBS also report different types of pain, including:

  • Aching
  • Cramping
  • Sharp, or stabbing
  • Throbbing

Pain associated with IBS includes both visceral pain, meaning it originates in bodily organs, and functional pain, which does not have a known bodily source and is not accounted for by any test.

Because its symptoms involve functional pain, IBS is sometimes categorized as a centralized sensitivity syndrome (CSS). These are groups of conditions that involve a heightened experience of pain, as in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.


IBD Pain

Abdominal pain is also a common symptom of IBD.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation estimates that 50 to 70 percent of people with IBD report gastrointestinal (GI) pain when their IBD symptoms first began and, later, whenever the disease is active.

Patients also report pain associated with IBD in other parts of the body, such as:

  • Eye discomfort
  • Oral sores
  • Painful joints
  • Skin sensitivity
  • Pain around the rectum

 

Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Vs Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)


Diagnosing IBD

Your doctor will look for physical damage in the intestines, to do that they will perform the following diagnostic tests:

  • Blood tests
  • Barium contrast studies
  • CT scan
  • A colonoscopy to look inside your body. Your doctor may take a small tissue sample at the same time. This is called a biopsy.
  • MRI scan
  • Stool test
  • X-ray

 

If you the patient has inflammation and ulcers, a doctor can use these tests to narrow down what form of IBD the patient has.

Your doctor may also refer you for endoscopic evaluations, such as an esophagogastroscopy or colonoscopy, to evaluate the severity and extent of inflammation. These involve inserting a small tube with a camera into either the esophagus or the rectum.

During these examinations, your doctor will likely collect tissue to biopsy to help differentiate between different types of IBD.


Diagnosing IBS

Doctors do not order tests to diagnose IBS, although they may use test results to rule out other conditions. Instead, an IBS diagnosis is usually made on the basis of:

  • Family history
  • Medical history
  • Physical exam
  • Ruling out other conditions
  • Symptom report


Usually doctors use the Rome IV criteria to look for Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These say that you may have IBS if you have belly pain for at least 1 day a week for 3 months. The pain must also meet at least two of the following conditions:

  • Pain occurs with a bowel movement.
  • When it starts, you begin to have bowel movements more or less often.
  • Appearance of the stools is different. 

In some cases, doctors will diagnose you with IBS just using these standards. But sometimes, especially if you also have other symptoms that hint at IBD, you’ll get tests to find out whether there’s any bleeding or inflammation in your digestive tract. If there is, you don’t have IBS.

Complications of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Without effective treatment, IBD can lead to some serious health problems such as the following:

IBS is relatively less dangerous compared to IBD . Its main complication is usually how the symptoms affect the quality of life. It may also cause anxiety or depression.

 

Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Patients who have IBD or IBS often try to treat it by changing their diet. There’s no specific diet that works for everyone. It would help to consult with your doctor if it would help to do the following:

  • Avoid lactose, which is in dairy products.
  • Cut down on foods that make you gassy or bloated
  • Don’t have beans and lentils.
  • Drink more water
  • Having more fiber from food or supplements.
  • Avoid caffeine.
  • Limit or avoid FODMAPs, a type of sugar found in some fruits, vegetables, breads, and dairy products.
Doctors usually treat IBD with drugs that target the inflammation:

  • Aminosalicylates: These work on the lining of your intestine. They help in mild or moderate cases of IBD.
  • Corticosteroids: These drugs weaken your immune system. You’ll take them for a short time if your symptoms flare up.
  • Immunomodulators: These drugs also affect your immune system. You can use them as a long-term treatment.
  • Biologic therapies: This treatment keep proteins in your body from causing inflammation.
  • Antibiotics fight infection caused by the disease or from surgery to treat it.

These meds generally don’t work for IBS, which is one reason why it’s so important to know which condition the patient has.

Some IBD patients need surgery to repair the damage to their digestive tract, but those with IBS don’t.

If you have IBS, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter or prescription drugs to help with diarrhea or constipation. These include laxatives or anti-diarrheals, antispasmodics, and antidepressants.

Other things that can help include acupuncture, stress management, hypnotherapy, and relaxation training. Researchers are also studying whether certain probiotics may help ease IBS symptoms.

Counseling can be helpful, especially if your condition causes stress or if you notice that you’re limiting your social life because you worry about your symptoms. A support group is another great resource because the people there will understand from experience what it’s like to have IBS. They can offer tips on how to manage it and improve your quality of life.

 

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Samples available include cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors available in all formats and types.

Our biobank procures and stores fully consented, deidentified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples and matched controls.

All our human tissue collections, human specimens and human bio-fluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

This critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Patient’s data is extremely valuable for researchers and is used to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and biological samples, including cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

Including fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as serum, plasma and PBMC.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

We can also procure most human bio-specimens, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human plasma, serum, and PBMC bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human samples from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, contact us Now.

日本のお客様は、ベイバイオサイエンスジャパンBay Biosciences Japanまたはhttp://baybiosciences-jp.com/contact/までご連絡ください。