What
Makes Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Different?
Understanding IBS is important because it is often confused
with other similar digestive disorders, such as inflammatory
bowel diseases. Below are the most common digestive disorders,
with some characteristic differences that help distinguish
one from another.
Functional
Intestinal Disorders:
IBS
affects
large intestine (colon or bowel)
causes abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation
does not cause inflammation
does not lead to other complications
Dyspepsia
affects
upper abdomen or chest
causes feeling of fullness, gas, and burning pain
can be caused by stomach ulcers, stomach inflammation or
stomach cancer
can be early warning of a serious disease
Inflammatory
Bowel Diseases:
Crohn’s
disease
affects
any area of gastrointestinal tract
causes inflammation sporadically throughout intestine
causes diarrhea, crampy abdominal pain, loss of appetite,
loss of weight, or skin sores
can lead to other complications, such as intestinal obstruction
Ulcerative
Colitis
affects
all or part of only the large intestine
causes inflammation and ulcers of the large intestine
causes bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever
does not affect the small intestine
