Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains a highly prevalent condition that constitutes a large disease burden, and negatively impacts quality of life for a significant segment of the population. As such, IBS represents a common diagnosis in both primary care and specialty care settings. Reflecting the varied pathophysiologic mechanisms that contribute to IBS, patients similarly may present with an array of symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation. Treatment choices also reflect the broad range of underlying mechanisms which may contribute to symptoms among patients with IBS. Therapy should be tailored to specific symptoms of IBS and may be further targeted to likely underlying mechanisms of IBS in an individual patient. In this chapter, we review and update the diagnostic evaluation, pathophysiologic mechanisms, and management of IBS.