Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

CarolynC, With all due respect, this isn't about you personally at all.

Its about figuring it out for everyone invovled, especially since this is an IBS forum. You may say its real and say lots of doctors ect., but that is NOT the case, lots use it to make money.

Its funny there is no test for a proliferation of an OVERGROWTH of candida in the gi tract that can't even be seen with a microscope?

Nobody finds that odd?

Again this is a problem, people call their IBS candida overgrowth syndrome.

Its NOT and that message needs to be very clear here.

You don't want people with IBS to be misdiagnosed do you?

I am glad you feel better, seriously but this information is important to IBSers themselves.

IBS is diagnosed in the absence of organic conditions!!!!

For a reason in fact many reasons and its a condition of the large colon or sigmoind colon. Not a blood stream infection or an infection at all.

Both the USA and Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy and the leading fungus doctors in the world have never found this condition in 20 YEARS. They have looked hard for it, that you might have a altered bacterial gut flora is not Candida overgrowth syndrome. There is no amount the gi tract has millions, so its how the "Doc" personally interprets the tests. It would also be in your blood work.

Unorthodox Techniques for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergy, Asthma and Immune Disorders

Advice needs to be "evidence based"
When considering testing and treatment, advice needs to be "evidence based". In other words, there needs to be evidence that a particular test or treatment is reliable, based on studies of other patients with the same condition. Reliable tests need to be able to distinguish between those with illness and those without. Therapeutic trials are designed to show that any improvement seen is due to the treatment, and not just due to chance or coincidence.

Inappropriate Testing

Tests for 'dysbiosis'
Use: Diagnosis of food sensitivity / allergy and other non-specific symptoms

Method: Some laboratories offer pathology tests including stool bacterial/chemical analysis, urine metabolite profiles, intestinal permeability assays, trace metal analysis, Candida antibody / cellular proliferation assays and blood / urine fatty acid and amino acid profiles for assessment of "dysbiosis". The concept of 'dysbiosis' states that there is a balance of 'good' versus 'bad' bacteria in the bowel of each person, that imbalances result in disease, and that this can be assessed by various metabolic and bacteriological measurements. Such tests are often used by unorthodox practitioners as a rationale to guide (a) megadose nutritional supplementation; (b) 'probiotic' and/or antibiotic therapy; or (c) dietary modifications. These treatments are promoted as a means of restoring a 'healthy' balance of bowel flora.

Evidence: No evidence

Comment: There is no sound evidence to support the notion of 'dysbiosis' as a cause of allergic diseases or related clinical conditions. The clinical validity of the tests involved or treatments advocated has not been demonstrated.

Unorthodox Treatments

Chronic Candidiasis
Use: Treatment of a variety of ailments including allergy, irritable bowel, food allergy and intolerance, autoimmunity, arthritis and psychological conditions.

Method: This approach is based on the concept that imbalance of gut flora results in overgrowth of Candida albicans within the gut. Release of fungal toxins results in a variety of symptoms including fatigue, arthritis, irritable bowel, food intolerance as well as psychological symptoms. These toxins weaken the immune system, predisposing to further symptoms from ingested foods and toxins. Treatment centres on dietary supplements, administration of antifungal drugs such as nystatin, and restriction of "Candida friendly" foods such as those containing sugars, yeast or molds.

Evidence: Level II

Comment: Candida is a normal gut organism, and immune responses (antibodies, cell mediated responses) to this organism are both expected and observed in healthy controls as well as those allegedly suffering from this condition. There is no evidence of overgrowth of Candida or altered immune responses to this organism in patients complaining of this syndrome. There is neither a scientific rationale nor published evidence that elimination of Candida with diets or anti-fungal therapy is useful for management.

http://www.allergy.org.au/content/view/322/271/

Why is there candida in the bowel in the first place in humans?

""Candida albicans, and other strains of Candida are yeast that normally inhabits our digestive system: the mouth, throat, intestines and genitourinary tract. Candida is a normal part of the bowel flora (the organisms that naturally live inside our intestines, and are not parasitic). It has many functions inside our digestive tract, one of them to recognize and destroy harmful bacteria. Without Candida albicans in our intestines we would be defenseless against many pathogen bacteria. Healthy person can have millions of Candida albicans."

"About chronic candidiasis
An overgrowth in the gastrointestinal tract of the usually benign yeast (or fungus) Candida albicans has been suggested as the origin of a complex medical syndrome called chronic candidiasis, or yeast syndrome.1 2

Purported symptoms of chronic candidiasis are fatigue, allergies, immune system malfunction, depression, chemical sensitivities, and digestive disturbances.3 4 Conventional medical authorities do acknowledge the existence of a chronic Candida infection that affects the whole body and is sometimes called chronic disseminated candidiasis.5 However, this universally accepted disease is both uncommon, and decidedly more narrow in scope, than the so-called Yeast Syndrome"a condition believed by some to be quite common, particularly in people with a history of long-term antibiotic use. The term chronic candidiasis as used in this article refers to the as yet unproven Yeast Syndrome."

Real Candidiasis which is a "Systemic Candidiasis are "systemic infections"

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic76.htm

IBS is NOT an infectious disease.

Dr. Andrew Weil, bestselling author of Natural Health, Natural Medecine has to say about candidia...

Candidiasis

Candida albicans is a kind of yeast that normally lives in the gastrointestinal tract and vagina without causing any problems. Under certain circumstances it can reproduce wildly, causing symptomatic infections of the mouth (thrush) and vagina as well as intestinal upsets. A common cause of yeast overgrowth is antibiotic therapy, which can kill off the "friendly" bacteria that compete with candida for food and keep it in check. If you have to take broad-spectrum antibiotics, it is a good idea to take supplemental acidophilus; to reduce the possibility of yeast infections. Candidiasis also tends to occur in people with suppressed immunity, such as patients with cancer and AIDS and those on long-term treatment with steroids and other immunosuppressive drugs.

In recent years Candida albicans has received much notoriety in certain circles as a major cause of illness. Some holistic practitioners diagnose everyone coming through the door as having systemic yeast infections, and health-food stores make a great deal of money on supplements that claim to fight yeast. I have read books and pamphlets that give the impression that everyone who has ever taken an antibiotic or steroid now is infected with candida, and that undiagnosed yeast infections are responsible for fatigue, depression, anxiety, mood swings, behavioral problems in children, allergic reactivity, skin eruptions, and most chronic digestive problems. I have had patients who believed yeast was growing in their blood, lungs, and other vital organs and begged me to prescribe strong drugs to kill it. They shunned beer, wine, bread, vinegar, and even mushrooms in the belief that any food associated with yeast or fungus would contribute to their disease.

Most of these ideas are unsound. Diagnoses of systemic candidiasis usually have no scientific basis, and most treatments people take for it are a waste of time and money. If you had yeast growing in your blood or vital organs, you would be in an intensive care unit, critically ill. Since candida is a normal inhabitant of the human body, no objective test can prove it to be the cause of general symptoms. Culturing it from the throat of a depressed patient does not mean that yeast infection is the cause of the depression.

Most of the treatments prescribed for this faddish disease are harmless except to the pocketbook. One that is not is the prescription drug ketoconazole (Nizoral). It can be toxic to the liver and should not be used except on the advice of an infectious disease specialist. The more commonly used drug nystatin (Mycostatin) is usually safe because it is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.

Women who have recurrent vaginal yeast infections should see the entry on that subject. Others who worry about yeast in their system would do well to eat raw garlic every day; since it is a very effective antifungal agent. Take a course of nystatin if you wish (it must be prescribed by a doctor), and try to cut way down on sugar in the diet. Pau d'arco, an herbal remedy made from the bark of a South American jungle tree (species of Tabebuia, also known as palo de arco, lapacho, and taheebo) is often recommended for candidiasis, but I do not prescribe it. Much of the bark that comes into this country is contaminated with pesticides.

Candidiasis is a wonderful example of a fashionable disease. It appeals to our fears of being vulnerable to foreign invaders and satisfies a need to blame our vague and general symptoms on a specific causative agent. ten years from now it may be out of fashion. In the meantime, if you have used antibiotics and steroids for a long time and have clear symptoms and signs of yeast infection, by all means follow the recommendations above and see what happens. If after a reasonable trial, say four to six weeks, you have not experienced dramatic improvement, consider another diagnosis.

The recomended anti-candida diet is VERY similar to the specific carbohydrate diets that are recomended for both IBS and IBD by the alternative therapy community.

Real Candidiasis which is "Systemic Candidiasis are "systemic infections"

Systemic Candidiasis is rare and usally found in highly compromised immune systems such as AIDS and Cancer and can be life threatening.

From the Dr Fungus website. An exppert on all fungi

Overview

It has been proposed that the asymptomatic colonization with Candida might be associated with a variety of symptoms and cause a "Candida Hypersensitivity Syndrome" [592] This concept was popularized by William Crook, MD in his book The Yeast Connection [485]. Previously, C.O. Truss, a physician from Birmingham, Alabama had proposed the existence of such a malady [2232, 2234]. Other names that have been given to this presumed condition include:
Candida-Related Complex
Polysystemic Candidiasis
Chronic Candidiasis (This term should not be confused with Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis)
The syndrome is theoretically due to an overgrowth of Candida albicans in the gastrointestinal tract or in association with mucous membranes. The syndrome is said to occur in connection with some or all of the following risk factors:
Use of broad spectrum antibiotics
Use of oral contraceptives
Ingestion of diets rich in yeast-containing foods or readily utilizable carbohydrates.
Pregnancy
Tremendous attention by public media and health magazines has created a large body of uncritical publications on this topic [395, 480, 484, 2024, 2231, 2232, 2233, 2234, 2425]. There are no rigorous data to support these concepts. The whole idea is based on historical controls and no working definition has been ever assessed [218]. Although brief communications by the proponents have appeared in major journals [477, 478, 479, 481, 482, 483, 486], the actual studies performed by these physicians do not appear to have been subjected to peer review. The American Academy of Allergy and Immunology published a position paper in 1986 stating that the concept was "speculative and unproven" [82]. Later, a carefully designed study on the topic by Dismukes et al. demonstrated that the condition does not appear to be reproducible or verifiable [592].

Clinical Manifestations

There is a broad range of symptoms that have been associated with this syndrome. They can be classified in the following groups, although it is not clear how many or which of them are required to make a diagnosis nor is there scientific data linking these multiple clinical manifestations with Candida albicans overgrowth [218, 260]:
Vaginal. Recurrent episodes of Candida vaginitis associated with the classic symptoms of pruritus, burning and abnormal discharge.
Gastrointestinal. Heartburn, bloating, diarrhea or constipation.
Respiratory allergy. Rhinitis, sneezing and/or wheezing.
Central nervous system. Anxiety, depression, memory deficits and/or loss of ability to concentrate.
Menstrual abnormalities. Severe premenstrual tension and/or menstrual irregularities.
Other Systemic Symptoms. Fatigue, headache and/or irritability.
Specific Diagnostic Strategies

The proponents of the existence of this syndrome base their diagnosis on the clinical picture previously discussed [484, 485, 2425]. There is no laboratory test that allows a clear identification of patients affected with this presumed disorder. Actually, "no clear definition of the disease has ever been advanced" [218]. Considering these facts, it is impossible to set criteria to establish and identify patients affected with this supposed disease.

From a practical viewpoint, we recommend that all women with recurrent vaginitis be carefully evaluated for possible causative factors. Patients with more general complaints should receive a general physical examination. A CBC, general serum chemistries (including liver enzymes), and thyroid studies should be checked to eliminate the possibility of an anemia, subclinical hepatitis, and so forth. Finally, Renfro et al. reported that approximately two-thirds of patients with chronic fatigue had an underlying psychiatric diagnosis [1871].

Treatment

Proponents of this syndrome have recommended such therapies as:
Long-term therapy with antifungal agents at increasing doses until resolution of symptoms. Oral and usually vaginal nystatin are recommended. Other azoles, such as ketoconazole have been also used [260].
Diet modification including restriction of sugar and other simple carbohydrates [481].
Candida allergy shots [218].
Avoidance of mouldy environments [218].
The value of these therapies is unknown. Dismukes et al. conducted a prospective double-blind study to assess the impact of antifungal therapy on this condition [592]. This study compared oral and vaginal nystatin with placebo in 42 premenopausal women with the presumed diagnosis of chronic candidiasis. The remarkable finding of this study was that nystatin did not "reduce systemic or psychological symptoms more than placebo did "[592]. One of the major proponents of the syndrome, Doctor William Crook criticized the study by saying that nystatin is no more than one of the components of the "comprehensive and multimodal therapy" required for this condition [481]. The same author agreed on the urgent need for more scientific studies on the topic. However, a recently done and detailed Medline search on the topic yielded only the data that we have discussed.

Chronic Candidiasis FAQ

We often receive inquiries about the diagnosis and treatment of chronic candidiasis. Here is our FAQ list:
How can I decide if I have chronic candidiasis? Answer: We don't know. The syndrome has never been clearly defined and a workable diagnostic approach has never been put forth. While we have no doubt that there are individuals who suffer from some (or all) of the symptoms listed above, we are not aware of any testing procedure that can link these symptoms to a candidal infection.

My doctor cultured Candida from my stool. What does this mean? Answer: Candida spp. are frequent asymptomatic colonizers of the skin and bowel. Such cultures are of little significance unless you are critically ill in an ICU or are receiving cancer chemotherapy.

I took _______ (name of drug) or I altered my diet to include (or exclude) _______ (name of food) and now I feel better. Doesn't that mean I have (had) chronic candidiasis? Answer: The most common form of this question is "I took fluconazole and now I feel better--does this mean I had chronic candidiasis?" While we're glad you feel better, response to fluconazole is not a diagnostic tool. The various antifungal drugs have effects that go beyond the fungi (for example, fluconazole interacts with the enzyme systems of people, not just of fungi) and many diseases have a natural course of progression and regression. Similar concepts apply to changes in diet. If something makes you feel better, we're delighted for you. We just don't know what it means.

I still really think I might have chronic candidiasis. What should I do? Answer: At the risk of being repetitive, we'll say it again: We don't know of any useful approaches to diagnosing or treating chronic candidiasis. You should see a competent physician and be checked for the things that we do know how to diagnose (see discussion above). If these tests are negative, then we have nothing too specific to offer other than sympathy. We are not denying your symptoms. Rather, we honestly don't know what to do about them. If you can identify something that makes you feel better, then we'll cheer for you!

Is "yeast" the same as Candida? Answer: The term "yeast" is relatively imprecise. Medical mycologists use this term to describe fungi that reproduce predominantly by budding or fission. There are many genera of fungi that fit in this category. Beer and bread makers use the term to refer to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Doctors sometimes use the term "yeast infection" to refer to Candida spp. and its diseases. For example, yeast vaginitis is the colloquial phrase for candidal vaginitis.

This isn't to attack any person, this is about accurate diagnoses we all want to have personally and accurate information on IBS, a functional disorder asbsent organic disease. Is also about IBS awareness and promoting misinformation on IBS is a major problem to IBS doctors, researchers and pulic awreness people trying to get accurate information to the public in the first place about IBS, while everyone has there own IDEAS of what causes it and promotes them and not the actual research.

There is a bigger picture then just us as individuals out there that needs to be addressed as well as our own individual health and IBS management. Its also important for people with different conditions to be accurately diagnosed and treated, depending on what condition or disease they really are diagnosed with and then treated right.

If someone wants to pursue it after they have heard both sides then fine, but it NOT the cause of IBS, nor should it be promoted as IBS.

Thanks for listening and again no bad feelings towards anyone.

--------------------
My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com

Print Remind Me Notify Moderator

Wronmg, first again you don't know what a diagnoses of IBS itself means.

You keep saying mainstream, your alternative practioners DON"T DO IBS research they get it from science itself. This condition has never been proven to exist in over twenty years of looking for it with powerful microscopes of the intensines looking at specific cells, no candida overgrowth.

Youer cured, yet you say candida never goes away? You problably had mild IBS and diet helped as well as you think its helping.

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
Lin Chang, M.D.
CNS: Center of Neurovisceral Sciences & Women's Health, CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center,
Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Corresponding Author:
Lin Chang, M.D.
Center for Neurovisceral Sciences & Women's Health
CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
11301 Wilshire Blvd., Building. 115, Room. 223
Los Angeles, CA. 90073

PREVALENCE AND EPIDEMIOLOGY
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common
functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder with worldwide
prevalence rates ranging from 9-23%. Functional
disorders are conditions where there is an absence of
anatomical or biochemical abnormalities on diagnostic
tests which could explain symptoms. IBS is a chronic
functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain
or discomfort and alterations in bowel habits. It is the most
common disorder diagnosed by gastroenterologists and
accounts for up to 12% of total visits to primary care
providers Gender appears to play an important role in IBS.
Two-thirds of individuals with IBS are female with an
estimated prevalence in women ranging from 14-24%. Of
those who seek healthcare services including tertiary and
ambulatory care for IBS and other functional bowel
disorders, women lead men by a ratio of 2-2.5:1 while
others estimate the rate to be higher at 3-4:1. However, the
gender distribution appears to be less than 2:1 among IBS
non-patients (individuals with symptoms of IBS but who
have not sought health care) in the community. It is not
known if this increased female prevalence represents a
reporting bias, i.e. if female patients are more willing than
men to disclose that they have IBS-related symptoms, or if
it represents a biological difference.
Not all individuals with IBS symptoms seek medical care
for their symptoms. Based on different epidemiological
studies performed in different countries, 20-75% of
individuals meeting symptom criteria for IBS will seek
medical care for their symptoms at some point in their
lives. There are between 2.4 and 3.5 million annual
physician visits for IBS in the United States, during which
2.2 million prescriptions are written. The cost to society in
terms of direct medical expenses and indirect costs
associated with loss of productivity and work absenteeism
is considerable. It has been estimated that the total cost of
IBS is 30 billion dollars per year which includes 20 billion
dollars for indirect costs and 10 billion dollars for direct
costs.
SYMPTOMS OF IBS
Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The hallmark symptoms
of IBS are chronic abdominal pain and/or discomfort and
alterations in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation
or alternating diarrhea and constipation. Abdominal pain
has been reported as primarily crampy or as a generalized
ache with superimposed periods of abdominal cramps,
although sharp, dull, gas-like, or nondescript pains are also
common. The intensity and location of abdominal pain in
IBS are highly variable, even at different times within a
single patient. The abdominal pain and/or discomfort
experienced by IBS patients is often severe enough to
interfere with daily activities. Several factors exacerbate or
reduce the pain of IBS. Many IBS patients report
increased symptoms during periods of stress or emotional
upset such as job or marital difficulties. Defecation may
provide temporary relief from the abdominal pain of IBS,
whereas ingestion of food may exacerbate the discomfort
in a subset of patients.
Based on bowel habits, patients are commonly subclassified
into those having mainly diarrhea, mainly
constipation, and those alternating between the two
patterns. IBS patients with constipation may experience
infrequent bowel movements (<3/week), hard stools,
straining, and sensation of incomplete evacuation. IBS
patients with primarily diarrhea report frequent bowel
movements (>3/day), loose and/or watery stools frequent,
and urgency. The prevalence of the difference subgroups
based on bowel habits is similar. Other common IBS
symptoms include bloating, visible abdominal distension,
and mucus in the stool.
Upper gastrointestinal symptoms are commonly reported
by IBS patients with 25% to 50% of patients reporting
heartburn, early satiety, nausea, abdominal fullness, and
bloating. Up to 87% have reported intermittent upper
abdominal discomfort or pain (dyspepsia) by
approximately 40% of patients.
Extra-intestinal symptoms and overlap with other
common pain syndromes. Many IBS patients also report
extra-intestinal (non-gastrointestinal) symptoms such as
fatigue, muscle pain, sleep disturbances, and sexual
dysfunction. Up to two-thirds of IBS patients report extraintestinal
symptoms compared to less than 15% of healthy
individuals. These extra-intestinal symptoms may be due
to IBS co-morbidity with other stress-related syndromes
such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and
interstitial cystitis. Epidemiological studies have confirmed
the clinical impression that IBS frequently overlaps with
these other conditions in the same patient, suggesting
shared pathophysiologic mechanisms.
Psychological symptoms. Some IBS patients also have
psychological distress symptoms such as anxiety and
depression particularly in those with severe symptoms and
health care seeking behavior. Somatization, anxiety and
depressive disorders are also more commonly seen in IBS
patients than in healthy controls. Psychosocial trauma and
early adverse life events (e.g., parental separation or
physical/verbal/sexual abuse history) may profoundly
affect symptom severity, daily function, and health
outcome. Although these adverse events such as abuse
may be quite prevalent in IBS patients, a significant
number have not discussed this with anyone and a smaller
number will actually inform their physicians.

DIAGNOSIS OF IBS
The diagnosis of IBS is based on identifying characteristic
symptoms and excluding organic disease. An early
confident diagnosis permits tests to be minimized and
reassures the patient that there is no lethal disease. There
are no physical findings or diagnostic tests that confirm the
diagnosis of IBS. Therefore, diagnosis of IBS involves
identifying certain symptoms consistent with the disorder
and excluding other medical conditions which may have a
similar clinical presentation. The symptom-based Rome II
diagnostic criteria for IBS (Table 1) emphasize a "positive
diagnosis" rather than exhaustive tests to exclude other
diseases. A validation study of the Rome criteria after
excluding patients with symptoms suggestive of other
medical conditions other than IBS ("alarm signs" e.g.
bloody stools, weight loss, family history of colon cancer,
refractory and severe diarrhea) showed that 100% of
individuals who met the diagnosis of IBS based on the
Rome criteria truly had IBS rather than an alternative
diagnosis. At 2 years follow-up, none of the IBS patients
required a change in diagnosis.
Other medical conditions which may present with
symptoms similar to those seen in IBS include
inflammatory bowel disease, GI infections, lactose
intolerance, thyroid disease, microscopic or collagenous
colitis and malabsorption syndromes such as celiac sprue
(Table 2). A medical history and physical examination,
laboratory and GI tests can help to exclude these other
diagnoses. These tests include routine blood tests, stool
studies for infection, and endoscopic procedures such as
upper endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. In
patients < 50 years of age who meet diagnostic criteria for
IBS and have no "alarm signs" suggestive of diseases other
than IBS, initial screening tests such as a complete blood
count to check for anemia and a chemistry panel can be
obtained. Other screening tests to consider are a thyroid
test (TSH) and a blood test for celiac sprue. However,
further tests and procedures such as a colonoscopy are not
generally recommended. Patients ≥ 50 years of age with
IBS symptoms should undergo a screening colon
examination with either a colonoscopy or flexible
sigmoidoscopy and barium enema if these tests have not
been done previously, regardless if they have alarm signs
(see Figure 1).
In some centers, the presence of bacterial overgrowth is
often determined because this condition may cause
symptoms similar to those of IBS. It is most commonly
diagnosed by a lactulose hydrogen breath test. Two studies
from the same research group found that 78% to 84% of
patients with IBS had bacterial overgrowth. In patients
with evidence of bacterial overgrowth, those treated with
an antibiotic such as neomycin had a greater reduction in
their GI symptoms compared with placebo. Although these
data are intriguing, there are some methodologic
limitations in these studies and, therefore, the use of
widespread hydrogen breath testing for bacterial
overgrowth is still not generally advocated.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC MECHANISMS OF IBS
Although psychological and physiological abnormalities
have been described, the overall pathophysiology of IBS is
not well understood. Similar to other chronic medical
conditions, a multi-component conceptual model of IBS,
which involves genetic, physiologic, emotional, cognitive,
and behavioral factors, has been formulated (Figure 2).
Although all factors are closely interconnected, the
importance of individual factors in the generation of IBS
symptoms may vary greatly between individuals.
Previously, IBS was considered primarily a disorder of
altered gut motility. Currently, increased bowel sensitivity
(visceral hypersensitivity) and altered brain-gut
interactions are felt to play a principal role in the
pathophysiology of IBS. Recently, it has been found that
genetic and environmental factors are important in IBS but
further studies are needed to understand the importance of
these factors in the prevalence, symptoms, physiologic
responses and response to treatment in IBS.
Altered intestinal motor function. Altered intestinal
motility has been found in IBS, particularly exaggerated
contractions (motor response) in the lower (sigmoid) colon
to psychological stress and food intake. These alterations
may explain why many IBS patients experience typical
IBS symptoms following meals and develop exacerbations
during stressful life events. These changes in bowel
motility are likely due to alterations in the autonomic
nervous system outflow to the intestine.
Increased gut sensitivity. There has been compelling
evidence that IBS patients have enhanced perception of
bowel (visceral) stimuli such as food or distensions of the
gut wall. The initial clinical observations that led to the
hypothesis that patients with IBS have visceral
hypersensitivity included the presence of recurring
abdominal pain as a principal symptom, the presence of
tenderness during palpation of the sigmoid colon (left
lower abdominal area) during physical examination in
many patients, and excessive pain often reported by
patients during endoscopic examination of the sigmoid
colon. Published studies measuring visceral sensitivity
suggest that a variety of abnormal sensations or
perceptions in relation to bowel stimuli may be more
frequent in IBS patients. At least two perceptual
alterations can be distinguished, a hypervigilance
(increased attention or vigilance) towards expected
aversive events arising from the bowel, and hyperalgesia
(lowered threshold to pain) which is inducible by sustained
painful visceral stimulation. These findings are paralleled
by similar findings of target system hypersensitivity in
other disorders such as fibromyalgia and myofascial pain
disorder. In contrast to their enhanced perception of
visceral pain, most IBS patients have normal or even
decreased pain sensitivity and tolerance for painful cold
and mechanical stimulation of somatic (skin and muscle).
However, there is a recent study that has demonstrated
increased somatic sensitivity to thermal heat in IBS
patients. Patients with IBS who also have co-existing
fibromyalgia have increased somatic sensitivity
comparable to patients with fibromyalgia alone.
Increased stress mediators in IBS. There is increasing
evidence to support the prominent role of stress in the
pathophysiology and in the clinical presentation of IBS
symptoms. There are few published reports on alterations
in stress mediators, such as catecholamines and cortisol to
stress or visceral stimulation in IBS. Several studies have
reported increased in catecholamines (norepinephrine and
epinephrine) and cortisol levels in IBS patients. However,
it remains to be determined whether these neuroendocrine
alterations play a direct role in gut function and symptom
generation.
Altered brain-gut communication in IBS. A unifying
hypothesis to explain the functional bowel disorders is that
they result from a dysregulation of the brain-gut axis. An
evolving theory is that normal gastrointestinal function
results from an integration of intestinal motor, sensory,
autonomic and CNS activity and GI symptoms may relate
to dysregulation of these systems. Brain imaging studies
such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and
positron emission tomography (PET) have been performed
in IBS patients to measure brain activation patterns to
visceral stimuli. These studies suggest that brain
activation responses to visceral stimuli are distinctly
different in IBS patients compared to healthy individuals.
IBS patients may have different emotional and cognitive
processing of sensory information from the gut compared
to healthy individuals.
Post-infectious IBS. Symptoms suggestive of IBS occur
in approximately 7-30% of patients following acute GI
infections, often persisting for years following complete
resolution of the infection. A large cohort study identified
a self-reported history of acute gastroenteritis as a major
risk factor for the development of IBS. Reported risk
factors for the development of post-infectious IBS include
female sex, the duration of the acute diarrheal illness and
the presence of sustained psychosocial stressors around the
time of infection. Post-infectious IBS is not restricted to a
particular organism and has been documented with a
variety of bacterial infections (Salmonella, Campylobacter
and E. coli) as well as parasitic infection. However, the
role of acute viral gastroenteritis in this condition is
unknown.
In post-infectious IBS, low grade GI inflammation or
immune activation may be a basis for altered motility,
and/or nerve and mucosal (lining of bowel) function of the
gut in IBS. Recent studies have also shown that in a subset
of unselected IBS patients (no documented history of a
preceding gut infection), there is evidence of increased
inflammatory cells in the colon mucosa. It remains to be
determined if altered gut immune function is a general
characteristic of IBS patients. The implication of stressful
life events in the development of post-infectious IBS
suggests a convergence of central (brain) and peripheral
(gut) mechanisms in the clinical presentation of this
syndrome.
Gender differences. In addition to IBS, many functional
GI disorders and other chronic visceral pain disorders (e.g.
interstitial cystitis and chronic pelvic pain) and somatic
pain disorders (e.g. fibromyalgia, myofascial pain
disorder) are more common in women than in men.
Increasing evidence suggests that gender differences exist
in the symptoms, pathophysiologic responses and response
to certain treatments in IBS. Female IBS patients are more
likely to be constipated, complain of abdominal distension
and certain extra-intestinal symptoms. Studies have also
supported an influential role of ovarian hormones (e.g.
estrogen and progesterone) on bowel function and pain
sensitivity which can in part explain the gender differences
in IBS. Several investigators have reported a variation in
GI symptoms during different phases of the menstrual
cycle, particularly increased abdominal pain and loose
stools at the perimenstrual (just prior to and at time of
menses) phase.
TREATMENT
Treatment of IBS includes both non-pharmacologic and
pharmacologic therapies. An important component of nonpharmacologic
treatment for IBS is a successful physicianpatient
relationship. The physician should strive to
establish effective bi-directional communication with the
patient, gain the patient's confidence with a concise,
appropriate medical evaluation and offer reassurance and
education that IBS is a real medical condition with a
potential impact on health related quality of life but
without significant long/term health risk. Some IBS
patients, especially those presenting with new onset of
symptoms, express relief that their symptoms are not
caused by a serious condition such as malignancy. Other
components of non-pharmacologic treatment of IBS
include diet recommendations, lifestyle modifications, and
psychosocial intervention if needed.
Patients with mild IBS symptoms comprise the most
prevalent group, and are usually treated by primary care
practitioners, rather than specialists. These patients have
less significant functional impairment or psychological
disturbance. These patients do not see a clinician very
often, and usually maintain normal daily activities.
Treatment is directed toward education, reassurance, and
achievement of a healthier lifestyle and occasional
medication. Dietary advice may include avoiding
offending foods which can trigger symptoms (e.g. lactose
or fructose products, fatty foods, caffeine, gas-producing
foods). Fiber supplementation has been shown to be
effective for symptoms of constipation.
Pharmacologic therapy is best used in IBS patients with
moderate to severe symptoms refractory to physician
counseling and dietary manipulations. First line treatment
has traditionally been aimed at treating the most
bothersome symptom because of the lack of effective
treatment for the overall improvement of multiple
symptoms in IBS patients. However, new therapies for
IBS have been recently introduced and have been shown to
effectively treat multiple symptoms of IBS.
Anticholinergic/Antispasmodic agents. After fiber
preparations, antispasmodic agents are the next most
commonly prescribed group of medications for the
treatment of IBS. However, several studies do not provide
firm evidence that anticholinergic agents are efficacious in
the IBS population as a whole. Only a few of these
antispasmodics have been shown to be more effective than
placebo in relieving abdominal pain in high quality clinical
IBS trials but these are not currently available in the U.S.
Antidiarrheal agents. In IBS patients with diarrhea,
antidiarrheal agents such as loperamide and diphenoxylate
can be effective in decreasing bowel movement frequency,
improving stool form by enhancing intestinal water and ion
absorption, and increasing anal sphincter tone at rest.
These physiologic actions seem to explain the
improvement in diarrhea, urgency, and fecal soiling
observed in patients with IBS. These medications do not
typically relieve abdominal pain and may cause
constipation.
Psychotropic medications. The rationale of using this
class of drugs in IBS may relate to several factors, such as
the prominent co-morbidity of IBS with psychologic
distress symptoms and the effects of these agents on gut
motility and pain sensation. Among the classes of
antidepressant medications, the tricyclics have been most
extensively evaluated in IBS. At lower doses than those
usually used to treat depression (starting at 10 mg and up
to 75 mg nightly), amitriptyline and desipramine have been
found to be significantly more effective than placebo in
patients with IBS. Antidepressants have analgesic (pain
relief) properties, which may benefit patients
independently of the psychotropic effects of the drugs.
Treatment with tricyclics should begin with low doses
(e.g., 10 mg/day) and increased as needed up to full
therapeutic doses. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs, e.g. paroxetine, citalopram) and selective serotonin
and noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs, e.g.
venlafaxine) have not been well studied for treatment of
IBS, and are more expensive, but have less side effects
than tricyclics and empirically may help reduce painful
symptoms and improve general well-being and quality of
life.
Novel serotonin agents. The prominent role of serotonin
in GI motility and sensation has led to the development of
novel serotonin agents such as alosetron and tegaserod in
the treatment of IBS. Most of serotonin (also known as 5-
HT) in the body resides in the bowel wall within
enterochromaffin cells lining the gut (mucosa) and nerve
cell bodies. Serotonin is released from the
enterochromaffin cells and acts on receptors on the nerves
within the bowel wall. These nerves may be part of the
nervous system which resides completely within the bowel
wall, known as the enteric nervous system, or may be
nerves that transmit painful and non-painful information
by projecting from the bowel to the spinal cord and brain.
Activation of these nerves by serotonin leads to the release
of other neurotransmitters and through their actions, it
plays a major role in gut motility, secretion and sensation.
Alosetron (Lotronex), which is a 5-HT3 antagonist, has
been shown to be effective in relieving pain, normalizing
bowel frequency, and reducing urgency in non-constipated
IBS female patients. This medication was approved by the
FDA last year but was later withdrawn because of the
adverse events of constipation and ischemic colitis, the
latter being observed in 0.1%-1% of patients receiving the
medication. Future studies are being planned to determine
if there is a causal association of alosetron and ischemic
colitis. However, alosetron has recently been re-approved
and now is available for the treatment of women with
severe diarrhea-predominant IBS under the Restricted Use
Program. Alosetron is indicated only for women with
severe diarrhea-predominant IBS who have: chronic IBS
symptoms (generally lasting ≥ 6 months), no evidence of
anatomic or biochemical abnormalities of the GI tract
which could explain their symptoms, and failed to respond
to conventional therapy. IBS is considered severe if it
includes diarrhea and ≥ 1 of the following: frequent and
severe abdominal pain/discomfort, frequent bowel urgency
or fecal incontinence, or disability or restriction of daily
activities due to IBS. Physicians must enroll in the
Restricted Use Program in order to prescribe alosetron.
Patients should discuss with their physicians about the
risks and benefits of the medication before being
prescribed it. Both should sign the Patient-Physician
Agreement form. The starting dose of alosetron is now 1
mg orally once daily. If the patient does not experience
complete relief of their symptoms after 1 month, the dose
can be increased to 1 mg orally twice daily which was the
originally approved dose. Any patient who experiences
increased abdominal pain, blood in their stool and/or
constipation should immediately stop their medication and
contact their physician.
Tegaserod (Zelnorm) is a partial 5-HT4 agonist, which
has been shown to be effective in relieving the global
symptoms of IBS with constipation. It has been recently
approved for the treatment of IBS with constipation in
women. Tegaserod has been shown to accelerate GI transit
time in IBS patients and therefore would increase stool
frequency, and increase electrolyte secretion in the bowel
and thus improve stool form. In addition to its motility
enhancing properties, tegaserod has been shown to have
pain inhibitory properties in animal studies and therefore
may reduce abdominal pain although human studies are
needed to confirm this effect. Unlike other currently
available medications for IBS with constipation, tegaserod
appears to be effective in treating the multiple symptoms
of IBS. The subject's global assessment of relief of IBS
symptoms, change in number of bowel movements,
abdominal pain and bloating are all reportedly improved in
female patients with IBS with constipation taking
tegaserod as compared to placebo. The only adverse events
which were seen at a small but significantly higher rate in
patients taking tegaserod compared to placebo were
headache and transient diarrhea.
Psychological treatments. Referral for psychological
treatment can be recommended as part of a multicomponent
treatment program to help the patient better
manage the symptoms, or to address psychosocial
difficulties (e.g., abuse, loss) that may be interfere with
daily function and ability to cope with the illness. In
general, these treatments are reserved for patients with
moderate to severe symptoms, particularly if they
experience psychological distress. However, the patient
must be motivated and see this type of treatment as
relevant to their personal needs. Psychological treatments
used to treat IBS include psychotherapy (dynamic and
cognitive-behavioral therapy), relaxation therapy,
hypnotherapy, and biofeedback therapy. Psychological
treatments can also be combined. Review of well-designed
treatment studies of IBS supports the superiority of
psychological treatment over conventional medical
therapy. Follow-up studies (duration 9-40 months), have
demonstrated that psychological treatment maintained
superiority over placebo, indicating that these methods
have lasting value. The choice of treatment will depend on
patient requirements, available resources and the
experience of the therapist.
CONCLUSIONS
IBS is a common, chronic disorder characterized by
exacerbations and remissions, which presents with
symptoms of abdominal pain and/or discomfort and altered
bowel habits. It has a chronic relapsing course and can
overlap with other functional GI (dyspepsia) and non-GI
(fibromyalgia) disorders.
The clinical diagnosis of IBS is based on identifying
symptom criteria with a "positive diagnosis" and excluding
organic disease with minimal diagnostic evaluation.
Clinicians should feel secure with the diagnosis of IBS, if
made properly, because it is rarely associated with other
explanations for symptoms. Although there are many
expensive and sophisticated tests available for the
evaluation of IBS symptoms, these are generally not
needed for patients with typical symptoms and no features
suggestive of organic diseases.
An integrated diagnostic and treatment approach first
requires an effective physician-patient relationship. A
careful history will also identify the need for diagnostic
studies and treatments as determined by the nature and
severity of the predominant symptoms, and the degree and
extent of influencing psychosocial and other factors.
The fact that definite structural or biochemical
abnormalities for these disorders cannot be detected with
conventional diagnostic techniques does not rule out the
possibility that neurobiological alterations will eventually
be identified to explain fully the symptoms of most
functional disorders. Examples of such a shift in
perspective from symptom-based disorders without
detectable abnormalities to medically treatable diseases
based on specific neurobiological alterations include
affective disorders (depression, anxiety) and migraine
headaches. Similar to other chronic illnesses, a
multicomponent model that involves physiologic,
affective, cognitive, and behavioral factors can be
formulated for IBS. Although all factors are closely
interconnected, the importance of individual factors in the
generation of IBS symptoms may greatly vary between
individuals. Physiologic factors implicated in the
generation of IBS symptoms include hypersensitivity of
the GI tract to normal events, autonomic dysfunction
including altered intestinal motility response to stress and
food intake, alterations in fluid and electrolyte handling by
the bowel, and alterations in sleep.
Many of the traditional therapies have been used to treat
specific IBS symptoms because they have not been shown
to significantly relieve global symptoms, which would
improve an overall sense of well-being. However, the
discovery of novel serotonergic agents such as tegaserod
and alosetron have been shown to be effective in treating
global symptoms in patients with IBS compared with
placebo. More recently published studies evaluating the
efficacy of antidepressants, such as tricyclics and SSRIs,
suggest that these medications may help improve general
well-being in addition to treating psychological comorbidity
in affected individuals but further studies are
needed. Psychological and behavioral therapies have also
been showed to be effective for IBS however it potentially
can be limited by the availability of experienced therapists.
Instituting a multidisciplinary approach using nonpharmacologic
and pharmacologic therapeutic modalities
may result in the most effective outcome. Future studies
will further enhance our understanding of this condition
and lead to newer, more effective treatments.

http://www.ibs.med.ucla.edu/PDFs/IBSReviewArticle.pdf

This has nothing to do with me at all these are not my beliefs, like you use your beliefs, these are evidence based peer reviiew studies on millions of IBS pateints around the world, verse your persceptipn and you called IBS a catch all diagnoses, which is wrong from the start.

And while you may have been helped from diet, many IBSers are not totally helped by diet.

You have no idea what altered motility, viceral hypersensivity, rectal hypersenisvity and altered brain gut axis even means in IBS. Even if candida over growth existed at all, it can't physically cause the SPECIFC CLUTER of IBS symptoms used to diagnose IBS, absent ANY organic diseases.

IBS is NOT an infection, which you don't understand either.

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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com

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