Irritable bowel syndrome
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- help each other live better and uncover the best ways to manage your health today
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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, insomnia, fatigue, and pain) 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
67
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
63
Type
Prescription Drug
How many have tried
36
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(29)
Constipation
(17)
Type
Over the Counter Drug
How many have tried
36
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(34)
Diarrhea
(8)
2 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 (37 evaluations)
Total evaluations
39
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(71)
Diarrhea
(3)
Perceived effectiveness
for Pain (38 evaluations)
Total evaluations
47
Tried for
Pain
(60)
Anxious mood
(3)
4 more
Perceived effectiveness
for Pain (33 evaluations)
Total evaluations
36
Perceived effectiveness
for Insomnia (51 evaluations)
Total evaluations
72
Perceived effectiveness
for Depressed mood (31 evaluations)
Total evaluations
46
Tried for
Depressed mood
(41)
Pain
(7)
3 more
Perceived effectiveness
for Pain (22 evaluations)
Total evaluations
23
Tried for
Pain
(40)
Anxious mood
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
for Anxious mood (40 evaluations)
Total evaluations
43
Tried for
Anxious mood
(37)
Insomnia
(4)
Perceived effectiveness
for Insomnia (12 evaluations)
Total evaluations
12
Tried for
Insomnia
(36)
Depressed mood
(3)
2 more
Perceived effectiveness
for irritable bowel syndrome (19 evaluations)
Total evaluations
24
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(29)
Constipation
(17)
Perceived effectiveness
for irritable bowel syndrome (12 evaluations)
Side effects
Constipation
Fear of constipation (Coprastasophobia)
Total evaluations
15
Tried for
irritable bowel syndrome
(34)
Diarrhea
(8)
2 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?
- 5,930 patients have this condition
- 56 new patients joined this month
- 1,039 say IBS is their primary condition
| Age | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| <20 | 33 | |
| 20s | 477 | |
| 30s | 1,069 | |
| 40s | 1,606 | |
| 50s | 1,581 | |
| 60s | 789 | |
| 70+ | 146 |
| Age at first symptom | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| 0-19 years | 1,209 | |
| 20-29 years | 937 | |
| 30-39 years | 790 | |
| 40-49 years | 439 | |
| 50-59 years | 169 | |
| 60-69 years | 18 | |
| 70+ years | 9 |
Sex
Distribution of sex
| 90% | Female |
|---|---|
| 10% | Male |
| Condition Types | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| IBS-C (constipation predominant) | 76 | |
| IBS-D (diarrhea predominant) | 84 | |
| IBS-M (mixed diarrhea and constipation) | 110 | |
| IBS-U (unsubtyped) | 8 |
| Diagnosis status | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosed | 3,911 | |
| Not Diagnosed | 435 |
These charts show data from IBS patients who have completed their condition history
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