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Query: UMLS:C0022104 (irritable bowel syndrome)
 8,033 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Patients with chronic constipation may have one of several physiologic disorders, not all of which are amenable to operative therapy. The aim of this study was to test colonic and pelvic floor function preoperatively, to identify patients suitable for surgery based on these studies, and to determine operative outcome over time. Between 1987 and January 1991, 277 patients referred for severe symptoms of chronic intractable constipation underwent colon transit studies, measurement of anal canal pressures and reflexes, and measurements of anorectal angle movements and efficiency of evacuation. Balloon expulsion studies, electromyography of the pelvic floor, and defecating proctograms also were done. Based on these studies, patients were categorized as having: slow transit constipation (STC), 29 patients; pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), 37 patients; STC + PFD, combined slow transit and pelvic floor dysfunction, 14 patients; and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), 197 patients. Slow transit constipation patients underwent abdominal colectomy and reanastomosis. Pelvic floor dysfunction patients underwent pelvic floor retraining only. Patients with STC + PFD underwent pelvic floor retraining followed by abdominal colectomy. Irritable bowel syndrome patients were treated symptomatically. Among the 38 patients operated on (STC and STC + PFD), there was no operative mortality. Prolonged ileus developed in 13%, and small bowel obstruction occurred in 11% of patients. On follow-up, a mean of 20 months after ileorectostomy, no patient was constipated, none required a laxative, and none was incontinent. The mean number of stools per day was four. The authors concluded that a prospective evaluation of colonic and pelvic floor function reliably delineated constipated patients with slow transit, suitable for operative management, from those with pure pelvic floor dysfunction or irritable bowel syndrome, who were not. Abdominal colectomy and ileorectostomy in the slow transit patients was safe and effective, resulting in prompt and prolonged relief of constipation.
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PMID:Evaluation and surgical treatment of severe chronic constipation. 195 96

Fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome frequently coexist. In this study, we utilized a previously validated self-administered questionnaire to assess the prevalence of symptoms of bowel dysfunction and irritable bowel syndrome in 123 patients with fibromyalgia as compared to 54 patients with degenerative joint disease (DJD) and 46 normal controls. Ninety (73%) of the fibromyalgia patients reported altered bowel function as compared to 20 (37%) DJD patients and none of the normal controls (P less than 0.001). Ninety-nine patients (81%) reported normal alternating with irregular bowel pattern, and 77 (63%) had alternating diarrhea and constipation. In contrast, only 24 (44%) of DJD patients and six (13%) of controls had regular alternating with irregular bowel pattern and only 12 (22%) of the DJD patients and none of the healthy controls had alternating constipation and diarrhea (P less than 0.01). Other bowel dysfunction complaints noted in the fibromyalgia group were abdominal gas (59%), nausea (21%), diarrhea (9%), and constipation (12%). Seventy-nine (64%) fibromyalgia patients reported frequent abdominal pain that was stress-related 47% of the time. Laxative use was frequent in the fibromyalgia group (19%) and absent in the other two groups. Fifty percent of fibromyalgia patients, compared to 28% of DJD patients, felt that their bowel complaints were worse during exacerbations of their joint disease (P less than 0.05). In conclusion, patients with fibromyalgia have a high prevalence of gastrointestinal complaints that should be carefully assessed. If the diagnosis of IBS is confirmed, appropriate treatment may improve patients' symptoms, although this approach requires further study.
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PMID:Bowel dysfunction in fibromyalgia syndrome. 198 7

One hundred two patients with irritable bowel syndrome were studied in a controlled trial of psychological treatment involving psychotherapy, relaxation, and standard medical treatment compared with standard medical treatment alone. Patients were only selected if their symptoms had not improved with standard medical treatment over the previous 6 months. At 3 months, the treatment group showed significantly greater improvement than the controls on both gastroenterologists' and patients' ratings of diarrhea and abdominal pain, but constipation changed little. Good prognostic factors included overt psychiatric symptoms and intermittent pain exacerbated by stress, whereas those with constant abdominal pain were helped little by this treatment. This study has demonstrated that psychological treatment is feasible and effective in two thirds of those patients with irritable bowel syndrome who do not respond to standard medical treatment.
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PMID:A controlled trial of psychological treatment for the irritable bowel syndrome. 173 48

Since it is not known whether the symptoms and bowel function of patients with the irritable bowel syndrome are truly abnormal we used diaries and frequent telephone interviews over a 31 day period to assess symptoms, defecation, and stool types in 26 unselected female hospital patients with the irritable bowel syndrome, 27 women who admitted to recurrent colonic pain but had not consulted a doctor (non-complainers), and 27 healthy control subjects. Unexpectedly, abdominal pain and bloating occurred in most of the control subjects. Pain, however, was six times more frequent in the patients and was more often considered severe. Bloating occurred three times more often. Defecation was more frequent, more erratic in timing and stool form, and more likely to produce stools of extreme forms, indicating rapid fluctuations in intestinal transit time. Urgency was four times more prevalent in patients than control subjects. Straining to finish defecating was nine times more prevalent and was often accompanied by feelings of incomplete evacuation--a combination which could lead to the misdiagnosis of constipation. The normal relation between stool form and the above symptoms was distorted, possibly due to rectal irritability. Non-complainers were intermediate between patients and control subjects in almost every parameter but were closer to control subjects than to patients. Patients with the irritable bowel syndrome have real cause for complaint and their bowel function is truly abnormal.
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PMID:How bad are the symptoms and bowel dysfunction of patients with the irritable bowel syndrome? A prospective, controlled study with emphasis on stool form. 199 41

The effects of prokinetic treatment with cisapride in patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Sixty-nine IBS patients were assigned to a 12-week treatment with either 5 mg cisapride or placebo t.i.d.; this dosage could be changed if necessary. The mean weekly number of days on which a stool was passed in the cisapride and placebo group increased to 5.3 and 4.4 (p less than 0.05) during weeks 8-12 of treatment, and the number of days with stools of normal consistency increased to 3.5 and 1.9 (p less than 0.05), respectively. At week 12, the reduction in severity and frequency scores for abdominal pain was significantly greater (p less than or equal to 0.05) in the cisapride group (60 and 61%) than in the placebo group (40 and 32%), as it was for abdominal distension (p less than 0.05). Cisapride tended to be better than placebo in diminishing flatulence. In 71% versus 39% of the patients the overall rating for the response to treatment was good or excellent at week 12. Cisapride was well tolerated. These results suggest that the drug will be useful for the management of constipation-predominant IBS.
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PMID:"Prokinetic" treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: a placebo-controlled study of cisapride. 200 45

We have described previously that the gallbladder responds abnormally to infusions of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). To confirm these results and to examine the possible mechanisms, patients with IBS and predominant symptoms of diarrhea or constipation were compared with matched controls. During infusions of CCK-8 at one of three doses, the response of the gallbladder was measured ultrasonographically. The levels of CCK-8 reached in the peripheral circulation and degradation of the peptide in vitro and in vivo were used to evaluate metabolism of cholecystokinin. We confirmed that the gallbladders of patients with IBS responded abnormally to CCK-8; however, the differences were not due to any prereceptor event. Instead, this abnormality in IBS must be explained by an atypical response at the level of the target tissues.
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PMID:Abnormal gallbladder motility in irritable bowel syndrome: evidence for target-organ defect. 153 72

Because functional bowel disorders have no reliable markers, they must be defined by their symptoms. The various constellations of symptoms (syndromes) may have different mechanisms, differential diagnoses, and treatments. Therefore, precise classification is important on clinical and scientific grounds. Functional bowel disorders are a subset of functional gastrointestinal disorders attributed to the intestine. By symptoms they may be subclassified as IBS, burbulence, functional constipation and functional diarrhea. "Orphan" symptoms insufficient to qualify as one of these syndromes may be classified as unspecified functional bowel disorder. There may be overlap in symptoms among the disorders. A more careful definition of these symptom complexes will permit a logical approach to their study, investigation, and management.
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PMID:Symptomatic presentations of the irritable bowel syndrome. 206 50

Among medical clinic patients consulting for IBS, symptoms of psychologic distress are common, and more than half of these patients are found to have a psychiatric diagnosis in addition to bowel dysfunction. Many investigators have therefore concluded that IBS is a psychophysiologic disorder and proposed that patients with IBS be treated with psychologic techniques. However, recent studies suggest that this association may be spurious; persons in the community who have symptoms of IBS but do not consult a doctor have no more psychologic symptoms than persons without bowel symptoms. This indicates that psychologic symptoms do not cause bowel symptoms, but, instead, influence which persons with bowel symptoms will consult a physician. The bowel symptoms and the psychologic symptoms that coexist in most patients with IBS may be best thought of as comorbid conditions. Neither causes the other, but both may be serious enough to warrant treatment. Moreover, in some patients whose bowel symptoms consist of vague complaints of abdominal pain not specifically related to defecation or to changes in the frequency or consistency of bowel habits, the psychologic disorder may be primary. Psychologic stress may exacerbate IBS whether or not the patient has a psychiatric disorder, and psychologic stress may trigger acute episodes of symptoms similar to those of IBS even in persons without IBS. However, the magnitude of this correlation is modest, suggesting that only about 10% of the variation in bowel symptoms is attributable to stress. Psychologically oriented treatments have a role in the management of IBS. Most patients who consult internists about bowel symptoms have significant levels of depression and anxiety, and they tend to notice and to worry about somatic complaints more when they experience these dysphoric affects. Psychologic treatments that reduce the level of their psychologic distress also frequently reduce the frequency and severity of complaints about bowel symptoms. Tricyclic antidepressants may be tried as a first line of treatment; they have been shown to be superior to placebo for the management of abdominal pain and diarrhea but not constipation. In patients who do not show an adequate response to antidepressants, brief psychotherapy focusing on better ways of coping with current problems, hypnosis, or behavior therapy emphasizing methods of controlling reactions to stress are recommended. Controlled trials show these treatment approaches to be superior to medical management alone. It may appear paradoxical that psychologic treatments aimed at the management of emotions are so frequently found to reduce bowel symptoms, because the motility disorder responsible for the bowel symptoms may be unrelated to the psychologic symptoms that influence the patient to seek treatment.+4
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PMID:Psychologic considerations in the irritable bowel syndrome. 206 51

Food intake plays a key role in triggering or perpetuating symptoms in patients with IBS. Evaluation of the impact of diet in the individual patient requires a precise dietary history and a 7-day prospective dietary analysis, which should include the quality and quantity of food consumed, chronologic sequence and nature of symptoms, and the frequency and consistency of bowel movements. The caloric density of the meal, total fat intake, the quantity and quality of lactose-containing foods, sorbitol, fructose, and the nature and quantity of soluble and insoluble fiber intake must be noted. Patients with reflux esophageal symptoms should eliminate foods that decrease LES pressure, such as chocolate, peppermint, alcohol, and coffee. Direct esophageal mucosal irritants such as tomatoes, citrus juices, sharp condiments, and alcohol should be limited. Gastric emptying is slowed with the ingestion of fats and soluble fiber. Small bowel motility is slowed by soluble fiber and fatty foods. Gaseous syndromes may be reduced by avoidance of smoking, chewing gum, excessive liquid intake, and carbonated drinks. The reduced intake of large amounts of lactose-containing foods, sorbitol, and fructose may limit postprandial bloating. Flatus production can be lowered by reducing fermentable carbohydrates such as beans, cabbage, lentils, brussel sprouts, and legumes. Soluble and insoluble fiber ingestion will reduce sigmoidal intraluminal pressures and overcome spastic constipation when given in progressive graded doses. Effective dietary manipulations remain a key factor in reducing symptoms in IBS.
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PMID:Diet and the irritable bowel syndrome. 206 55

The pathophysiology of idiopathic constipation and of the irritable bowel syndrome is complex and not easily approached through clinical data alone, none of which appearing to be highly specific of these diagnoses. Abnormal visceral sensation as well as colonic and ano-rectal motor dysfunction have been demonstrated. Functional evaluation may then focus on establishing the presence of such abnormalities or on trying to understand their underlying mechanisms. Thus, for example, measuring colonic transit time may distinguish those patients with constipation and a prolonged transit time from those with a normal one. Ano-rectal manometry may be used to evaluate the recto-anal inhibitory reflex which is absent in Hirschsprung's disease, although its use in patients with idiopathic constipation requires further study. Electromyography (EMG) of the anal sphincter can be used to demonstrate a paradoxical contraction during defecation, which is thought to be an important mechanism in some types of constipation. Manometry an EMG are useful tools in evaluating the patient with severe constipation, particularly if surgery is contemplated.
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PMID:[Functional studies in idiopathic constipation and irritable colon]. 213 May 83


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