In addition to representing victims of foodpoisoning, part of our mission at Marler Clark is to provide comprehensive analysis of all issues food safety, including some of the life-chanigng effects of being infected by bugs like E. coli O157:H7, Shigella, Campylobacter, hepatitis A, and Salmonella.  We have often heard that www.about-hus.com is one of the most plain-spoken yet thorough informational sites available to families who have never heard of the condition before their sick child’s physician tells them about it. 

In that vein, we are just about there on www.about-irritablebowelsyndrome.com, which we hope provides the same type of plain-spoken analysis to what is, to many people, a very complicated subject.  In foodpoisoning cases, IBS can be triggered by bacterial or viral infection.  

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one disorder in a spectrum of common functional gastrointestinal disorders. Symptoms of IBS can include constipation, diarrhea, alternating diarrhea and constipation, abdominal pain, urgency, bloating, straining at stools, and a sense of incomplete evacuation. The Rome III definition for IBS, which is widely accepted in the medical community, is recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort at least three days per month for at least three months, with at least two of the following symptoms also present: improvement of the pain or discomfort with defecation, a change in frequency of stools, or a change also in the form or appearance of stool.

The symptoms of IBS are usually long term, and, although they can cause daily gastrointestinal symptoms, are frequently episodic, meaning that they may not occur on a daily or regular basis. Symptoms may be triggered by specific foods or by stress. Often, however, no specific triggers can be identified.

IBS is much more common in women than men; and the onset of idiopathic IBS symptoms is usually in the teens or young adulthood. Symptoms of IBS can occur as a result of intestinal infection or can be precipitated by major life events.

It is estimated that 10-20% of the Western population has symptoms consistent with IBS, although most (75-80%) never seek medical care. IBS symptoms do account for about 10% of visits to primary care providers, and for 25-50% of referrals to gastroenterologists.

See remainder of new site content at www.about-irritablebowelsyndrome.com.