Diagnosis

The diagnosis of IBS is often made on the basis of the presence typical symptoms and by excluding other gut disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease. There is no single blood test, X-ray or scan which will diagnose irritable bowel syndrome.

Anybody who has experienced frequent bouts of bowel upset, either diarrhoea or constipation, associated with abdominal pain or bloating, for more than a few months may be suspected of having IBS. The presence of other symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, tiredness, nausea, indigestion, muscle aches and pains, make the diagnosis more likely.

Blood tests can be helpful in ruling out other problems, but do not actually help to confirm the diagnosis of IBS. As patients with irritable bowel syndrome get older, the diagnosis becomes more one of exclusion, and more investigations are performed in order to ensure that the diagnosis is correct. These may include gastroscopy (endoscopic examination of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum), ultrasound, barium studies and sometimes colonoscopy (an endoscopic examination of the large bowel).