Nearly 30% of individuals who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome will not
seek medical treatment. This may be fine for those with mild symptoms. However,
irritable bowel syndrome may be confused with other serious conditions such as
colon cancer, ovarian cancer, gallstones, fibroids, and so forth. Medical
attention should be sought if the following symptoms develop.
IBS symptoms worsen
Feeling fatigue
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Fever
Severe abdominal
discomfort
Bloody stools
Irritable bowel syndrome does not lead to conditions such as cancer or
irritable bowel inflammatory disease. However, it is possible for an IBS victim
to develop these conditions. Thus, individuals with a family history of cancers
such as colon, pancreatic, or stomach should alert their physicians to changes
in their symptoms.
Diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Physicians have different methods for diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome.
The test preformed depends heavily on a patient's age. For example, IBS is more
common in twenty-something women, thus doctors may perform a sigmoidoscopy
of the intestines as the only method of diagnosing irritable bowel
syndrome. On the other hand, doctors may order a series of tests for a person
in their 50's who has similar symptoms. IBS may affect older individuals;
however, it's rare for symptoms to begin this late in life. Other test for
diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome include barium enema
(X-ray of the intestines), or an endoscopy (thin tube inserted
into the bowel).