13m told: There’s no IBS

Warning as experts say bowel condition is ‘range of problems’

LABEL Expert Ben Brown A COMMON bowel condition suffered by millions may not actually exist.

Experts warn that 13 million people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome may be having the real cause of the problem ignored.

Although symptoms include excess gas, bloating and severe diarrhoea, researchers found that it may not be one condition – IBS – but a whole range of them. Experts at the British College of Nutrition and Health reviewed 220 studies and categorised the causes into lifestyle – such as poor sleep – dietary factors and imbalances in gut bacteria. Lead author Ben Brown, said IBS was an “umbrella diagnosis based on symptoms” but added “it’s not usually one thing”.

He said: “Unfortunately what often happens is they get given that label and told ‘there’s not much we can do about it’. That’s not addressing the problem.”

At any one time what was thought to be IBS affects between 10-20% of the population.

It is different to and less severe than irritable bowel diseases, which include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

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Studies were reviewed as part of the latest research into IBS