Both IBD and IBS can be distressing and difficult to live with, they can both cause lots of pain, discomfort and difficulty with day to day life, but there are some significant differences and its important to know what they might be so that proper diagnosis can be sort.
Firstly I want to say that anyone facing symptoms that they aren’t sure about, or anyone facing symptoms that are new or more severe than what’s considered normal for them should seek medical attention, I also want to say that any medical condition is hard to deal with, this post is not meant to play one condition against the other, my hope is to provide information that may be helpful when seeking a diagnosis, and to raise awareness of both conditions.
Symptoms
One of the easiest ways to differentiate the two conditions is to look at the potential symptoms.
IBD
Symptoms of IBD can include
- Blood in the stool
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Joint pain
- Eye inflammation
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Increased inflammatory markers in blood and/or stool
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Mouth ulcers
- Bloating
- Passing mucus
- Sudden and uncontrollable bowel movements
IBS
Symptoms of IBs can include
- Stomach pain which is often worse after eating but better after going to the bathroom
- Bloating
- Dirrhoea
- Constipation
- Flatulance
- Passing mucus
- Tiredness and lack of energy
- Feeling sick
- Trouble peeing like needing to pee often or feeling like you cannot empty your bladder properly
- Incontinence
Blood in the stool, fever , anemia and unexplained weight loss are not symptoms of IBS, if you have these symptoms its really important that you talk to your doctor, even if you have a previous diagnosis of IBS. You also need to make sure that you tell your doctor if you have a family history of any bowel diseases or cancer, including coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease.
Testing
Regardless of what you think you might be suffering from, its important to see a doctor, I understand that some of these symptoms may be embarrassing for you, but it’s important to talk about them, and the doctors wont judge you, they will be used to these conversations, they won’t be surprised and they will want to help. If a doctor ever makes you feel uncomfortable, or you feel like they aren’t taking you seriously please ask to see someone else, it’s so important that you are cared for properly.
When you see a doctor, blood tests and stool samples should be taken to look for inflammation, infection and to look for blood in the stool (poo). It is also important that you have tests to look for any nutrient deficiencies, especially if you have been having trouble eating or have been loosing weight.
If these tests show there might be something that needs further treatment, you should be referred to a gastroenterologist who will organise imaging such as an MRI and possibly a colonoscopy.
Key differences
A key difference between IBS and IBD is how they impact the body internally. IBS is what’s known as a functional disorder, which means there’s a problem with the way the gut functions and this causes the symptoms, whereas in IBD, the immune system attacks healthy cells in the digestive tract, causing inflammation, scarring and long term damage.
While IBS is undoubtedly extremely difficult to live with IBS, it. Does not damage the digestive tract, it does not cause an increase in cancer risks or life threatening complications. However, if you are suffering with IBS you still deserve good care from medical services, so don’t let them turn you away
IBD causes inflammation which can do permanent damage to the digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis damages the colon and the rectum while crohns can damage any part of the digestive tract. There are also extra intestinal manifestations such as osteoporosis, eye inflammation, joint pain and there is an increased risk of some types of cancer. Left untreated, or if treatments fail, IBD can have fatal complications including a perforated bowel or a fatal infection due to the immune suppression caused by some of the treatments needed to control the disease.
It is of course possible to suffer from IBD and IBS at the same time, and there are lots of other digestive illnesses, so , whatever diagnosis you are given, please do keep fighting if you feel something isn’t right, and remember no matter what you’re told IBS does not cause inflammation, bleeding or nutrient deficiencies so if you are suffering with any of these you need to pursue a different diagnosis. It can be hard to advocate for yourself with people who you think should know more than you, but it is super important and could save your life.
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