IBS is a gastrointestinal disorder that has no apparent cause. Symptoms include intestinal discomfort and pain along with “alterations” in bowel habits. This means constipation, diarrhea or switching between the two. IBS is reported to affect as many as 20% of the general population and is 2 to 3 times more prevalent in women than men.

Diagnosis of IBS generally is made after eliminating all other possible causes of the digestive issues.

Current studies indicate that as many as 77% of patients with fibromyalgia also have IBS. In fact, there are four conditions that have a higher than expected rate of co-occurrence with IBS that have little relationship to the digestive system:

• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ or TMD)
• Chronic Pelvic Pain

Other studies have shown that patients with both fibromyalgia and IBS experience symptoms that are 38% more severe than patients with only one of the conditions. Studies have also shown that people with both conditions tend to have a worse quality of life than those with only one.

Common Characteristics

Fibromyalgia and IBS are both complex, chronic conditions that actually have a number of common characteristics. Several studies have attempted to determine a causal link between the two conditions, but to date have not been successful. But these characteristics have been noted:

• Both Fibromyalgia and IBS exhibit abnormalities in the function of the autonomic nervous system. However, the pattern of the dysfunction is different in the two conditions and actually tends in opposite directions
• Pain sensitivity is also a common and shared characteristic of both conditions but likewise does not have a comparable pattern. IBS patients have pain inside the intestine whereas fibromyalgia patients have musculoskeletal pain but not intestinal.
• Stress is also a common characteristic including hormonal response to stress, such as corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH). But again, the pattern between the two conditions is different. IBS appears to have exaggerated stress hormone activity while fibromyalgia has suppressed stress hormone activity.

These facts lead some researchers to theorize that fibromyalgia and IBS are different “surface reflections” of the same broader “somatic syndrome”.

Originally posted 2008-12-04 12:00:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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