MICHIGAN — Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a very common disorder that affects the stomach and the intestines. Now, local doctors are working to raise awareness about IBS to reduce stigma.
Estimates show that IBS affects at least 5 percent of the total U.S. population, or about 1 in 20 people. However, some estimates go all the way up to 1 in 5 people.
“IBS is extremely common. It's a chronic condition predominantly surrounding abdominal pain related to bowel habits," Corewell Health board-certified gastroenterologist Dr. Sandeep Walia said.
Dr. Walia sees patients for all sorts of stomach and gut issues, and IBS is one of the more common illnesses he sees. Dr. Walia says he's noticed awareness growing on social media, and that's good news. Doctors have also been doing their best to make sure the public is aware, so people know they are not alone.
"The direct costs related to IBS care in the United States is estimated [at] almost up to $10 billion a year," Dr. Walia told us. "That amount of resource utilization, it's important to people."
There is no cure for IBS and its severity affects people in different ways. Medical professionals also don't know exactly what causes it.
"You'd think after 50 years of research we would have a succinct answer for what causes it," Dr. Walia said. "The leading hypothesis is maybe there's a contribution from the gut microbiome, or a brain-gut access abnormality.”
While IBS can't be fully cured, symptoms can be managed with lifestyle and diet changes and medication.
However IBS is just one of the many common stomach and intestinal illnesses affecting Americans, and some people may place a blanket IBS diagnosis on symptoms they may be experiencing. But if your symptoms persist and start severally affecting your day-to-day, Dr. Walia says it may be time to reach out to a specialist that could take a look at what's going on via endoscopy or colonoscopy.
“IBS and other conditions like Celiac Disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can sometimes get mixed up," Dr. Walia said. "And patients are kind of just looking on the internet on their own and trying to figure out, what do I have?"
FOX 17 is a proud sponsor of the Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis walk, raising money for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation - a non-profit, volunteer-fueled organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. FOX 17 Meteorologist Candace Monacelli will be hosting. The walk is set to begin at 10am on Saturday, June 24. The walking route is through Millennium Park and is about 1.66 miles.
