Cause Symptoms result from abnormal contractions, or spasms, of the smooth muscles of the colon that move food wastes through the large intestine. Some of these contractions may produce constipation , pain, and excessive gas. Others may result in attacks of diarrhea . No underlying cause of such abnormal action of the colon muscles has as yet been found. IBS episodes often follow stressful incidents or emotional upsets.
Stress is a common factor in many diseases.
Symptoms you are likely to notice Digestive disturbances such as those characteristic of IBS are experienced by most persons at one time or another. These include constipation , diarrhea , stomachache , and excess gas, which on occasion produce acute discomfort. But what tends to distinguish IBS from such common digestive episodes is the recurrence of such signs, and the persistence of such recurrences year after year. Further IBS symptoms may include a puffing-out of the abdomen, mucus with one's fecal matter, brief relief after passing much gas or having a bowel movement, and, even after a bowel movement, a feeling of not having emptied the bowel. Some persons with IBS have still more complaints that may include back pain, heartburn , constant fatigue , and faintness.