BOWEL
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBD)
In gastroenterology, irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS) or spastic colon is a functional bowel disorder characterized
by abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits which are not associated with
any abnormalities seen on routine clinical testing. It is fairly common and
makes up 20–50% of visits to gastroenterologists. Lower abdominal pain, and
bloating associated with alteration of bowel habits and abdominal discomfort
relieved with defecation are the most frequent symptoms. The abdominal pain
type is usually described in a patient as either diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D),
constipation-predominant (IBS-C) or IBS with alternating stool pattern (IBS-A).
In some individuals, IBS may have an acute onset and develop after an infectious
illness characterised by two or more of the following: fever, vomiting, acute
diarrhea, or positive stool culture. This post-infective syndrome has consequently
been termed "post-infectious IBS" (IBS-PI) and is acute onset Rome
II criteria positive. This condition is more homogeneous, being mostly IBS-D
and is drawing much clinical investigation. Chronic functional abdominal pain (CFAP) is quite similar to, but less common
than IBS. CFAP can be diagnosed if there is no change in bowel habits.
Inflammatory
Bowel Disease (IBD)
A recent hypothesis posits that some IBD cases are caused by an overactive immune
system attacking various tissues of the digestive tract because of the lack
of traditional targets such as parasites and worms. The number of people being
diagnosed with IBD has increased as the number of infections by parasites, such
as roundworm, hookworm and human whipworms, has fallen, and the condition is
still rare in countries where parasitic infections are common. This is similar
to the hygiene hypothesis applied to allergies.[citation needed]Initial reports
(Summers et al 2003) suggest that "helminthic therapy" may not only
prevent but even cure (or control) IBD: a drink with roughly 2,500 ova of the
Trichuris suis helminth taken twice monthly decreased symptoms markedly in many
patients. It is even speculated that an effective "immunization" procedure
could be developed by ingesting the cocktail at an early age.(1)
source
: wikipedia