Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Young Adults
The Mysterious Gastroenterology Disorder That Affects Many
Sep 17, 2009
Irritable bowel syndrome, one of many digestive illnesses, refers to a complex disorder of the lower intestinal tract. It is not the same as inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, but something totally different and equally as complicated.
According to the American College of Gastroenterology, it is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of the adult population in the United States suffers from IBS symptoms, and many of these are teens and young adults — not including the millions who suffer around the globe from these digestive issues.
How can such a life-long disorder hit the human race at such a young age?
Young IBS Sufferers
Many of those with IBS never seek treatment or diagnosis. With such an embarrassing disease that has minimal answers, some may think it’s just a pain and an added medical cost.
The first semester studying in Australia for 24-year-old international student Blake did not start as well as she imagined about five years ago.
Blake even remembers the exact moment when IBS entered her life: She was invited to a party but had to leave earlier because she was experiencing a lot of discomfort from what she describes as a squeezing, twisting and inflamed sensation in her intestines.
“The pain and discomfort would stay with me every waking hour for the next one and a half years,” Blake said.
After finally getting an appointment with a gastroenterologist when she returned home for the holidays, Blake was diagnosed with IBS and given medication, which did not work, she said. It is only recently that Blake has had control over IBS.
The cause of IBS is not completely understood by researches and doctors, said Miranda Van Tilburg, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, but symptoms of IBS are caused by an abnormality in the way the GI system functions.
"With IBS, there is an altered pattern of muscle contraction in the colon, and there is increased sensitivity within the GI tract," Van Tilburg said. "Normal regulation of communication between the brain and gut becomes altered. This leads to changes in normal bowel fuction."
IBS Function and Causes
Researchers don’t think IBS spreads by a virus, even though that has not been ruled out, but it is a type of disorder whose causes are multi-factorial, making it hard to pinpoint how it could have begun in a person's body, Van Tilburg said. She said it could be caused by genetics, something in a person’s environment and/or their certain culture. Also, in 25 percent of cases, it could be postinfectious IBS, or caused after an intestinal infection.
Van Tilburg said there really isn’t that much of a difference in age groups of those that have IBS, as far as recent research has discovered.
However, in some adolescents, the abnormalities in their digestive system functionality is similar to how it functions in 30- and 40-year-old adults who have similar issues, she said. Many adolescents before the age of 12 that have functional abdominal pain keep having symptoms into adulthood and could be diagnosed with a illness or disorder, sometimes dealing with the digestive tract.
“The normal function of the nerves and intestines in the digestive system is not painful for the average person, but IBS people have more sensitivity, or visceral hypersensitivity, and the brain picks up on this,” Van Tilburg said.
Van Tilburg added that this sensitivity happens during adolescence just as it does later in life.
The Effect of Change in IBS Sufferers
In addition to this sensitivity, research has shown that symptoms have progressively gotten worse after an event or change, such as college or a new home, which pushes the disorder over the threshold, she said. These types of events happen frequently during teen through 30s years, on average.
“I do wonder why this condition strikes us when we're in our prime and should be out experiencing life. I wonder if the lifestyle changes we experience at this age just set off a chain reaction in our fragile digestive systems,” Blake said. “I wish there were more medical answers to this!”
For young IBS sufferers, minimal answers and no quick fix can be frustrating, preventing a fast-pace life to continue.
But with awareness picking up for the disorder, more research is giving hope to the thousands who are looking for a few answers.
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