Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Evidence-based Treatment
Although accreditation for this CE/CME activity has expired, and the posttest is no longer available, you can still read the full article.
Expires January 31, 2015
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a functional gastrointestinal disorder usually manifesting with abdominal pain and altered bowel movements, is often seen in primary care. With the recent advances in evidence-based knowledge, you can now more readily make a diagnosis and offer your patients with IBS a variety of treatment options tailored to their needs.
CONCLUSION
IBS is a commonly occurring disorder of heterogeneous nature and pathogenesis. Therefore, basing a diagnosis on the presenting symptoms is not ideal; using clinical criteria to make a determination is more accurate. Once the diagnosis is made, IBS can be categorized into subtypes according to bowel function: diarrhea, constipation, or mixed. Knowing the subtype may guide the clinician in recommending a treatment, eg, patients with IBS-D may benefit from loperamide and those with IBS-C find relief with lubiprostone. The range of treatment strategies includes making lifestyle changes (eg, diet and exercise); incorporating CBT; and prescribing neuromotility agents and probiotics.
