Re: for Heather- IBS after 40?
06/11/03 05:23 PM
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Heather
Reged: 12/09/02
Posts: 7799
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Hi - It's unusual for people to develop IBS as they get older (and I've never seen any specific age cut-off for "older") but it's definitely not unheard of. Most current research indicates that the average age of IBS onset is late teens to early twenties. Lots of people fall out of that age range, though.
The big concerns with the sudden onset of GI symptoms at an adult age in the thirties, forties, or later is that the risks of serious disorders like colon cancer and diverticultis are much higher. This is why it's important that you have a complete diagnostic workup to rule out everything but IBS - you need to rule out inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac, colon cancer, diverticulitis, and women should be checked for endometriosis and ovarian cancer.
But, if your symptoms match the Rome Criteria (do a board search for this info if you need it) and you've had the diagnostic tests necessary to rule out everything else, then you could certainly be diagnosed with IBS at any age.
- Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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