NICE：初级预防中成人肠易激综合征的诊断与管理

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic, relapsing and often life-long disorder. It is characterised by the presence of abdominal pain or discomfort, which may be associated with defaecation and/or accompanied by a change in bowel habit. Symptoms may include disordered defaecation (constipation or diarrhoea or both) and abdominal distension, usually referred to as bloating. Symptoms sometimes overlap with other gastrointestinal disorders such as non-ulcer dyspepsia or coeliac disease. People with IBS present to primary care with a wide range of symptoms, some of which they may be reluctant to disclose without sensitive questioning.

People with IBS present with varying symptom profiles, most commonly 'diarrhoea predominant', 'constipation predominant' or alternating symptom profiles. IBS most often affects people between the ages of 20 and 30 years and is twice as common in women as in men. Prevalence in the general population is estimated to be between 10% and 20%. Recent trends indicate that there is also a significant prevalence of IBS in older people. IBS diagnosis should be a consideration when an older person presents with unexplained abdominal symptoms.