Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder. While the cause of this disorder is undetermined, its symptoms and complications are well-known. In addition to normal symptoms of IBS, the disorder can cause physical complications and affect the sufferers personal life.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome causes sufferers to experience many uncomfortable symptoms. These symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, and mucus in the stool.
While the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome cause a great deal of physical discomfort, IBS has relatively few physical complications apart from its symptoms. The complications that may occur include:
Aggravation of hemorrhoids: Frequent diarrhea and constipation, both common symptoms of IBS, can cause previously existing hemorrhoids to worsen.
Malnourishment: Because patients with IBS often avoid certain foods that make their symptoms worse, they may not get enough of the nutrients these foods would normally provide. This long term lack of nutrients can lead to malnutrition. Calcium deficiency is a particular problem, as many patients with IBS find that milk worsens their symptoms and eliminate dairy from their diet.
Frequently, the complications of Irritable Bowel Syndrome’s complications have more to do with the quality of the sufferer’s life, rather than with physical complications. This type of complication can affect several aspects of an IBS patient’s personal life.
Effects on Personal Life:
Social Life: Because sufferers may find it easier to deal with symptoms at home, they often avoid making plans with friends or attending social functions. If an IBS patient has symptoms at a particular time of day, they may restrict themselves from leaving home at this time. In addition, many IBS sufferers only allow themselves to go out to places where they are certain a toilet will be available.
Sex Life: The physical discomfort of IBS may cause patients to desire sex less frequently. In some cases, IBS can even make sex painful.
Professional Life: IBS symptoms can be severe enough to cause absence from work. In fact, Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers miss three times as many days of work as those who do not have IBS.
As you can see, IBS’s most noticeable complication may be its impact on quality of life. Because of this, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can also eventually lead sufferers to experience frustration and even bouts of depression. While depression may be caused by IBS, it is a separate condition that requires its own treatment.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome does not cause many severe physical complications, so those IBS patients suffering from symptoms not generally present with IBS should ask their doctor about other possible causes. Symptoms NOT associated with IBS include bloody stools/urine, vomiting, pain or diarrhea severe enough to disturb sleep, fever, and weight loss (except as a result of dietary changes.)
Patients experiencing these symptoms should remember that they are not likely to be complications of IBS and instead may point to another condition.
List of Sources
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome/DS00106
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/irritable_bowel_syndrome/article_em.htm
