Irritable bowel syndrome
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What is irritable bowel syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic noninflammatory disease characterized by abdominal pain, altered bowel habits consisting of diarrhea or constipation or both, and no detectable pathologic change in the intestinal tissue.
Common symptoms reported by people with irritable bowel syndrome
Common symptoms
How bad it is
What people are taking for it
Reports may be affected by other conditions and/or medication side effects. We ask about general symptoms (anxious mood, depressed mood, fatigue, pain, and stress) regardless of condition.
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Treatments taken by people with irritable bowel syndrome
Treatment name(s)
Type
How many have tried
Tried for
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
70
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(70)
diarrhea
(3)
2 more
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
42
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(33)
constipation
(20)
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
38
Tried for
pain
(32)
irritable bowel syndrome
(6)
3 more
Type
Over the Counter Drug
How many have tried
30
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(29)
diarrhea
(6)
1 more
Data from patients with irritable bowel syndrome, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
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Compare treatments taken by people with irritable bowel syndrome
Treatment name(s)
Perceived effectiveness
Side effects
Total evaluations
Tried for
Perceived effectiveness
for irritable bowel syndrome (32 evaluations)
Total evaluations
34
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(70)
diarrhea
(3)
2 more
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (36 evaluations)
Total evaluations
43
Tried for
pain
(59)
anxious mood
(4)
3 more
Perceived effectiveness
for depressed mood (32 evaluations)
Total evaluations
42
Tried for
depressed mood
(44)
pain
(8)
3 more
Perceived effectiveness
for irritable bowel syndrome (13 evaluations)
Total evaluations
18
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(33)
constipation
(20)
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (29 evaluations)
Total evaluations
42
Tried for
pain
(32)
irritable bowel syndrome
(6)
3 more
Perceived effectiveness
for depressed mood (18 evaluations)
Total evaluations
21
Tried for
depressed mood
(32)
anxious mood
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
for anxious mood (16 evaluations)
Total evaluations
21
Tried for
anxious mood
(31)
stress
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
for irritable bowel syndrome (11 evaluations)
Side effects
constipation
fear of constipation (coprastasophobia)
Total evaluations
14
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(29)
diarrhea
(6)
1 more
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
- Severe
- Moderate
- Mild
- None
Data from patients with irritable bowel syndrome, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
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Who has irritable bowel syndrome on PatientsLikeMe?
- 6,606 patients have this condition
- 33 new patients joined this month
- 1,162 say IBS is their primary condition
| Age | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| <20 | 41 | |
| 20s | 501 | |
| 30s | 1,170 | |
| 40s | 1,713 | |
| 50s | 1,763 | |
| 60s | 965 | |
| 70+ | 201 |
| Age at first symptom | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| 0-19 years | 1,249 | |
| 20-29 years | 977 | |
| 30-39 years | 814 | |
| 40-49 years | 461 | |
| 50-59 years | 178 | |
| 60-69 years | 21 | |
| 70+ years | 9 |
Distribution of sex
| Sex | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 683 | |
| Female | 5,688 |
| Condition Types | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| IBS-C (constipation predominant) | 137 | |
| IBS-D (diarrhea predominant) | 158 | |
| IBS-M (mixed diarrhea and constipation) | 185 | |
| IBS-U (unsubtyped) | 29 |
| Diagnosis status | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosed | 4,295 | |
| Not Diagnosed | 454 |
These charts show data from IBS patients who have completed their condition history
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