Just because it is not a fatal disease, it doesn’t mean that irritable bowel syndrome should not be a cause for alarm. This disorder disrupts patients’ routines, causing tremendous amount of stress and worries.

Aside from these, irritable bowel syndrome also poses a problem in another front – diagnosis. Most patients don’t take notice of symptoms of the disease, suspecting it to be just stomach upset. Since it is crucial to get medical attention in the early stages of the disorder, here are symptoms one should watch out for.

Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Well, during the early years of this disease, it was not really known if there were any common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. In the past, people who had irritable bowel syndrome were diagnosed under different diseases. As a result of this, few people received the right treatment for them. Thankfully enough, a group of specialists have now established a certain set of standards to see if a person is suffering from any irritable bowel symptoms.

ROME II indicates that a patient can be diagnosed with the disorder after 12 weeks of data. For that period, he or she suffers from abdominal pain which can be relieved by defecation. There is also a change in frequency of excretion as well in the stool appearance.

Change in frequency excretion means that the individual experiences an abrupt alteration in his “normal” bowel behavior. The number of times he needs to relieve himself may be more or less frequent than usual.

This can be explained by the two manifestations of the disorder. A person might experience diarrhea, wherein the excretions are watery and sometimes accompanied by mucus, and therefore needs to relieve more often.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Constipation

On the other end of the spectrum is constipation. A symptom of irritable bowel syndrome which indicates that an individual is having a hard time defecating because the stool becomes lumpy and hard to excrete. Patients who suffer from this sign often stay at home and miss work as a consequence.

Like other diseases, the symptoms are not present in all cases. There could be slight variations in the experiences of the patients. However, the fact remains that to effectively manage irritable bowel disorder, one needs to be aware of these signs and to be mindful of their occurrence. Only when you acknowledge that there is something wrong with what you’re experiencing will you visit the physician, and therefore receive the treatment you badly need.

You can learn more on irritable bowel syndrome cure here