IRRITABLE-BOWEL-SYNDROME

Citation
M. Camilleri et Mg. Choi, IRRITABLE-BOWEL-SYNDROME, Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 11(1), 1997, pp. 3-15
Citations number
107
Categorie Soggetti
Pharmacology & Pharmacy","Gastroenterology & Hepatology
ISSN journal
02692813
Volume
11
Issue
1
Year of publication
1997
Pages
3 - 15
Database
ISI
SICI code
0269-2813(1997)11:1<3:I>2.0.ZU;2-S
Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome is a disease that can be diagnosed positively on the basis of an established series of criteria and limited exclusi on of organic disease, It is the most common disease diagnosed by gast roenterologists and affects about 20% of all people at any one time, S ymptoms fluctuate, and the overall prevalence rate is relatively const ant in Western communities, Ten per cent of patients present to their physicians; the illness has a large economic impact on health-care uti lization and absenteeism, Irritable bowel syndrome is a biopsychosocia l disorder in which three major mechanisms interact: psychosocial fact ors; altered motility; and/or sensory function of the intestine, Manag ement of patients is based on positive diagnosis of the symptom comple x, limited exclusion of underlying organic disease and institution of a therapeutic trial, If patient symptoms are intractable, further inve stigations are needed to exclude significant motility or other disorde rs. Symptomatic treatment includes fibre for constipation, loperamide for diarrhoea and low-dose antidepressants or infrequent use of antisp asmodics for pain; novel pharmacological agents, psychotherapy and hyp notherapy are being evaluated.