Pain can be relieved by defecation, although it can be more severe after eating or at night. The latter may be watery and painless. For sufferers, a small amount of wind may be more distressing and an excessive amount of belching may occur. These symptoms often lead to patients being misdiagnosed as suffering from constipation or diarrhoea. Pain associated with IBS can have features which distinguish a functional origin from organic disease.
Functional pain comes and goes.
It can be felt in several different places, including some unusual areas, such as the subcostal regions, the loins, the back and the top of the thighs. On the other hand, pain from organic disease tends to be more localised and stereotyped. There are other disorders which can overlap with IBS associations. These have also been suggested with other gastro-intestinal disorders, such as dyspepsia and constipation, as well as other disorders, like fibromyalgia, irritable bladder and chronic fatigue syndrome. Classical migraine tends to co-exist with IBS in both individuals and in families.