Irritable bowel syndrome is benign but difficult to cure completely

This article is expertly consulted by Gastroenterologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Many people often treat irritable bowel syndrome immediately to relieve symptoms... However, irritable bowel syndrome and this cure only treat the top, not eliminate the root of the disease, so the symptoms will continue to recur when meeting favorable conditions. This is also one reason why irritable bowel syndrome is difficult to treat definitively.

According to doctors, irritable bowel syndrome often recurs many times and is difficult to treat definitively. There are many reasons to explain this situation. They are:
1.1 Manifestations of the disease are diverse, difficult to accurately diagnose
When suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, the patient has prominent symptoms in the digestive system and many other organs.
Gastrointestinal symptoms: patients often have abdominal pain in the lower abdomen and left iliac fossa, sometimes on the right side or epigastrium, pain along the colonic frame. Abdominal pain is often related to defecation: Change in the frequency of defecation, stool morphology. Sometimes unexplained pain makes it difficult to pinpoint the true cause. In addition, the patient also has symptoms of abdominal distension, diarrhea, constipation or diarrhea mixed with constipation in episodes. In addition, the patient may also have hot symptoms in the epigastric region, nausea, fast eating,... Other organ symptoms: patients with irritable bowel syndrome may also have other symptoms. such as headache, insomnia, depression, fatigue, taste disturbances, menstrual disorders in women, impotence in men, frequent urination during the day, pain during sex, nocturia, nervousness, pain chest pain, hot face, dizziness, etc. Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms vary from patient to patient, or even on a patient, symptoms are not fixed at each specific time. Besides, diagnostic methods such as abdominal ultrasound, colon X-ray, whole colonoscopy, stool test, ... all showed no abnormal signs. Therefore, the diagnosis is mainly based on the exclusion of diseases causing real damage to the digestive system. Also, because of not accurately diagnosing the problem that the patient has, there will be no specific treatment plan given. This is one reason why irritable bowel syndrome is so difficult to treat definitively.

1.2 Difficult to control the cause of the disease Doctors mentioned a number of factors that increase the risk of irritable bowel syndrome such as:
Psychological factors: people with anxiety, stress, prolonged insomnia, ... prone to spasmodic colon disease. Food Consumption: Some people have irritable bowel syndrome because of the habit of eating raw food, fishy food, milk, sour and spicy food, using alcohol or a spicy diet, fried and fatty foods. Gender: Women are 2-3 times more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome than men. The cause is due to the specific hormonal and anatomical structure of the female colon. The above causes of irritable bowel syndrome are difficult to control thoroughly. Specifically, in terms of psychology, people living in modern society will find it difficult to avoid times of fatigue and stress because of work and family. Regarding the issue of eating, if excessive abstinence to treat irritable bowel syndrome
, the patient may suffer from nutritional deficiencies, poor health or stress because of not eating palatable dishes. Regarding gender, women are forced to face a higher risk of disease than men. That's why it's so difficult to get rid of irritable bowel syndrome completely.
1.3 Patients are subjective in treatment From the above causes, it can be seen that irritable bowel syndrome can happen to anyone. However, patients are often subjective with digestive disorders, do not consider this to be a serious disease, so they only apply immediate treatment methods to relieve symptoms when there are signs of abdominal pain, bowel movements. , constipation, ... Irritable bowel syndrome and this treatment only cures the top, does not eliminate the root of the disease, so the symptoms will continue to recur when conditions are favorable. This is also one reason why irritable bowel syndrome is difficult to treat definitively.

Because of the subjectivity and incorrect treatment, the longer the colon spasm, the more severe it will be, directly affecting the health and life of the patient. When having irritable colon syndrome, the patient will initially have digestive, stool, and excretory disorders. When these disorders are repeated but are not treated properly and promptly, they will cause physical harm and easily lead to bad consequences.
The intestines have the function of absorbing nutrients, so people with irritable bowel syndrome are prone to lack of nutrients, malnutrition and poor health. In addition, patients can also suffer from psychological disorders, always worry, depressed and lead to severe physical weakness.

When diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, patients need to strictly follow the doctor's instructions in eating, living and using drugs to effectively treat the disease and reduce the risk of recurrence.