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Inflammatory bowel disease vs irritable...
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Disease or Syndrome
irritable bowel syndrome Audio
ir·ri·ta·ble bow·el syn·drome [ eer-ih-tuh-bul bow-ul sin-drome ]
Subclass of:
Colonic Diseases, Functional
Also called:
IBS; Irritable colon
Definitions related to irritable bowel syndrome:
  • (ibd) Abbreviation for inflammatory bowel disease, a general term for two disorders�ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease�that cause the intestines to become swollen and inflamed.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A disorder of the intestines commonly marked by abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in a person's bowel habits. This may include diarrhea or constipation, or both, with one occurring after the other.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A disorder with chronic or recurrent colonic symptoms without a clearcut etiology. This condition is characterized by chronic or recurrent ABDOMINAL PAIN, bloating, MUCUS in FECES, and an erratic disturbance of DEFECATION.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Chronic noninflammatory disease characterized by abdominal pain, altered bowel habits consisting of diarrhea or constipation or both, and no detectable pathologic change; a variant form is characterized by painless diarrhea; it is a common disorder with a psychophysiologic basis; called also spastic or irritable colon.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits in the absence of any organic cause.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a problem that affects the large intestine. It can cause abdominal cramping, bloating, and a change in bowel habits. Some people with the disorder have constipation. Some have diarrhea. Others go back and forth between the two. Although IBS can cause a great deal of discomfort, it does not harm the intestines. IBS is common. It affects about twice as many women as men and is most often found in people younger than 45 years. No one knows the exact cause of IBS. There is no specific test for it. Your doctor may run tests to be sure you don't have other diseases. These tests may include stool sampling tests, blood tests, and x-rays. Your doctor may also do a test called a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Most people diagnosed with IBS can control their symptoms with diet, stress management, probiotics, and medicine. NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
    MedlinePlus
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by recurrent abdominal discomfort or pain with at least two of the following characteristics: relation to defecation, association with a change in frequency of stool, or association with a change in consistency of stool. The cause is unknown, and the pathophysiology is incompletely understood....
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2025
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional GI disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits in the absence of a specific and unique organic pathology. Osler coined the term mucous colitis in 1892 when he wrote of a disorder of mucorrhea and abdominal colic with a high incidence in patients with coincident...
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2025
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both. IBS is a chronic condition that you'll need to manage long term.
    Mayo Clinic
    Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2025
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition characterized by abdominal pain associated with bowel dysfunction. The pain is often relieved by defecation and is sometimes accompanied by abdominal bloating. There are no structural abnormalities to explain the pain. IBS occurs in about 15% of the adult population. The etiology is...
    Epocrates
    Athenahealth, Inc., 2019
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