Chapter 7: Functional Bowel Disorders: Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Functional Constipation

Case History—A 42 yr old woman presenting with increased bowel frequency, loose stools and urgency after treatment of Campylobacter sp.. Symptoms suggestive of disturbed lower gastrointestinal function without adequate explanation are very common in adults in the Western world, up to 15% of whom experience such symptoms at any one time, although most do not seek medical advice. It is not clear whether the symptoms of those individuals who do seek medical help have a different pathophysiological basis from those who do not, and whether the seeking of medical advice is more an indication of a worried individual than of disturbed gut function....

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Understanding Functional Bowel Disorders

Adult Nursing Practice ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199697410.003.0020 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Gordon

Keyword(s):

Irritable Bowel Syndrome ◽

Abdominal Pain ◽

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Functional Bowel Disorders ◽

Abdominal Symptoms ◽

Bowel Disorders ◽

Health Nursing ◽

Functional Bloating ◽

Irritable Bowel

The aim of this chapter is to provide nurses with the knowledge to be able to assess, manage, and care for people with the group of conditions often described as functional bowel disorders (FBD)—see definitions below—in an evidence-based and person-centred way. The chapter will provide an overview of the causes and impact of FBDs, before exploring best practice to deliver care, as well as to prevent or to minimize further ill-health. Nursing assessments and priorities are highlighted throughout, and the nursing management of the symptoms and common health problems associated with FBDs can be found in Chapters 16, 23, 24, and 25, respectively. This chapter discusses the group of conditions often described as functional bowel disorders (FBDs). The term ‘functional gastrointestinal disorders’ is also used in the literature, but, for the purpose of this book, the term FBDs will be adopted. This refers to a group of disorders that are characterized by chronic gastrointestinal symptoms that currently have an unknown structural or biochemical cause that could explain those symptoms. Rome III is an internationally agreed set of diagnostic criteria and related information on functional gastrointestinal disorders (Longstreth et al., 2006). It includes six major domains for adults: oesophageal; gastro/duodenal; bowel; functional abdominal pain syndrome; biliary; and anorectal. This chapter will cover the FBDs that specifically relate to chronic abdominal symptoms. General abdominal symptoms include functional dyspepsia, non-cardiac chest pain, which may mimic functional abdominal symptoms, chronic abdominal pain, functional constipation, functional diarrhoea, functional bloating, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The chapter will concentrate on irritable bowel syndrome. Coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease are included: to give an understanding of these disorders, and to differentiate between inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions; to highlight the impact of the symptoms on the people who suffer from them; and to give an insight into the contribution that effective nursing makes. The amount of research and the number of publications concerning FBDs has risen considerably since the mid 1990s, and has contributed to the increasing legitimacy of these conditions as disorders in their own right and not simply by virtue of exclusion of all other possibilities.

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Prebiotics in irritable bowel syndrome and other functional bowel disorders in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1093/ajcn/nqy376 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 109 (4) ◽

pp. 1098-1111 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Bridgette Wilson ◽

Megan Rossi ◽

Eirini Dimidi ◽

Kevin Whelan

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Irritable Bowel Syndrome ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Functional Bowel Disorders ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Bowel Disorders ◽

Mean Differences ◽

Irritable Bowel

ABSTRACT Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional bowel disorders (FBDs) are prevalent disorders with altered microbiota. Prebiotics positively augment gut microbiota and may offer therapeutic potential. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of prebiotics compared with placebo on global response, gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and gut microbiota, via systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adults with IBS and other FBDs. Methods Studies were identified using electronic databases, back-searching reference lists, and hand-searching abstracts. RCTs that compared prebiotics to placebo in adults with IBS or other FBDs were included. Two reviewers independently performed screening, data extraction, and bias assessment. Outcome data were synthesized as ORs, weighted mean differences (WMDs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs) with the use of a random-effects model. Subanalyses were performed for type of FBD and dose, type, and duration of prebiotic. Results Searches identified 2332 records, and 11 RCTs were eligible (729 patients). The numbers responding were 52/97 (54%) for prebiotic and 59/94 (63%) for placebo, with no difference between groups (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.07, 5.69; P = 0.67). Similarly, no differences were found for severity of abdominal pain, bloating and flatulence, and QoL score between prebiotics and placebo. However, flatulence severity was improved by prebiotics at doses ≤6 g/d (SMD: –0.35; 95% CI: –0.71, 0.00; P = 0.05) and by non-inulin-type fructan prebiotics (SMD: –0.34; 95% CI: –0.66, –0.01; P = 0.04), while inulin-type fructans worsened flatulence (SMD: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.23, 1.47; P = 0.007). Prebiotics increased absolute abundance of bifidobacteria (WMD: 1.16 log10 copies of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene; 95% CI: 0.06, 2.26; P = 0.04). No studies were at low risk of bias across all bias categories. Conclusions Prebiotics do not improve gastrointestinal symptoms or QoL in patients with IBS or other FBDs, but they do increase bifidobacteria. Variations in prebiotic type and dose impacted symptom improvement or exacerbation. This review was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42017074072.

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