What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
In addition to abdominal pain, bloating and bowel disturbances, patients with IBS suffer from a variety of other symptoms including:-
- Nausea
- Low back pain
- Lethargy
- Bladder symptoms - frequency and urgency
- Gynaecological symptoms - especially pain on intercourse
- Thigh pain
- Weight gain
- Poor skin and hair quality
These are important to recognise because they not only make patients feel even more unwell but they can also lead to the individual being referred to the wrong specialist such as the gynaecologist or back specialist. These features can be very hard to treat but it is helpful if the patient understands that they are part of their IBS and hopefully will improve somewhat if the IBS can be improved.
