AI Insight
Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, and functional diarrhea are disorders of gut-brain interaction affecting approximately 20% of the global population, characterized by abnormal bowel patterns and abdominal symptoms. These conditions result from disrupted communication along the gut-brain axis, leading to disordered gut motility and heightened visceral sensitivity. Risk factors include female sex, younger age, mental health disorders, and previous gastrointestinal infections, with symptoms typically following a relapsing and remitting pattern.
Why it matters
Understanding these highly prevalent conditions as disorders of gut-brain interaction rather than purely gastrointestinal problems could lead to more comprehensive treatment approaches targeting both neurological and digestive aspects. This framework affects one in five people globally and may inform development of therapies addressing the bidirectional communication between the gut and brain.
Understand the Science
Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, and functional diarrhoea are disorders of gut–brain interaction, the symptoms of which include abnormal stool consistency or frequency accompanied by varying degrees of abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, or distension. These conditions affect 20% of the global population with a relapsing and remitting course. Risk factors include female sex, younger age, a history of common mental disorders, and acute enteric infection. The pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, and functional diarrhoea remain incompletely understood, but are thought to be secondary to aberrant interactions throughout the gut–brain axis, resulting in disordered gut motility and visceral hypersensitivity.
Source: [Review] Irritable bowel syndrome and related disorders of gut–brain interaction