WHAT IS IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Treatment – IBS Disease: Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a condition that cannot be explained by a structural or biochemical abnormality and is characterized predominantly by diarrhea, constipation or abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel movements (1).

WHAT IS THE PREVALENCE OF IBS IN SOCIETY?

Many studies show that the prevalence of the disease in society is 5-10%. The disease is twice as common in women (1,2). Some studies, on the other hand, describe the condition as a disease affecting 9-23% of the general population, 80% of whom are women (3). The variations across studies show how geographical and lifestyle factors influence IBS.

Who Suffers Most from Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

The disease is more common in the 30-40 age group and in women.

What are the Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

• Abdominal bloating
•  Intestinal discomfort
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Excessive intestinal gas
• Dyspepsia
• Depression and anxiety (4)
• Mood disorders (5)
• Feeling of being unable to empty the bowel after defecation
• Food allergies

WHY IS IBS IMPORTANT?

The disease affects a large segment of society. It causes serious labor and economic losses..

WHAT ARE THE FACTORS MOST OFTEN BLAMED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF IBS?

• Genetic factors (5)
• Leaky Gut Syndrome (4,5,6)
• Autoimmune Diseases (5)
• Environmental Pollutants
• Stress (1,2)
• Past Intestinal Infections (5)
• Excessive use of antibiotics and painkillers (7)
• Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease) (7)
• Dysbiosis (5,6
• SIBO (5,6)
• Disturbed Intestinal Flora (4,5,6)

How is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Diagnosed?

For the diagnosis of IBS, there are no specific measurable biomarkers. The diagnosis is based on the patient’s history and examination.

What is the treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

There is a great variety of treatment approaches in IBS. The treatment is usually symptom-oriented.

However, many studies have so far found that intestinal flora is impaired in patients with IBS (4,5,6).

Flora Transplantation results in significant symptom relief in 85% of patients.

WHAT IS FLORA?

Certain parts of the human body are inhabited by microorganisms which peacefully live with us, do not harm us, contribute to the vital functions of the region in which they live, cause health problems when not present, whose functions cannot be compensated in any other way, which constantly renew themselves, whose diversity increases under favorable living conditions, and whose number and biodiversity decrease in some unfavorable conditions. Their generic name is FLORA.

What is at stake is the flora of the digestive tract. The digestive system refers to the tract from the mouth to the anus. The digestive system is home to members of the flora throughout the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, with unique functions at each site. Those are specific to the site they occupy and cannot inhabit or live in other sites.

The number of flora bacteria identified in the human digestive tract to date is 1054. Flora diversity is among the most important factors affecting quality of life.

HOW MANY TYPES OF FLORA BACTERIA DO HUMANS HARBOR IN THE ENTIRE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM?

The most important factor in this is the environmental conditions.  Whereas the diversity of flora in those living in large metropolitan areas is as low as 50-60, this figure tends to increase in rural areas. In Turkey, people on average have a flora diversity of around 100 to 110 species throughout the entire digestive tract.

A high level of biodiversity of the digestive tract flora is directly proportional to a healthy, high quality and long life. Our flora members have diverse functions and are therefore indispensable for our health.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF FLORA? WHY DOES IT MATTER TO US?

Each part of our digestive system its own flora, which are the most crucial structures that fight against pathogens coming from outside. In cases where the flora of a given site is reduced, destroyed or extinct, the site gets invaded by pathogenic microorganisms. The flora of the digestive tract are of critical importance in the formation of a gel-like secretion called mucus, which coats the entire lining of the digestive tract, in the site they inhabit. In the absence of mucus, what we eat and drink as well as all the secretions of the digestive system come into direct contact with the surface of the digestive system (mucosa) and cause erosion in the parts they come into contact with. The flora is indispensable for the acid-base balance, enzymatic function, synthesis function and digestive activities of the site they inhabit. Without flora, these functions get impaired. Any disruption of the flora in any given site not only disrupts the function of that site, but also causes disruptions in the functions ahead and behind it.

IS THE FLORA OF EVERY HUMAN BEING THE SAME?

No. Each human being’s flora is influenced by numerous factors. Like a fingerprint, each person has their own flora.

The process of acquiring flora starts from the moment we are born and lasts a lifetime. The diversity of flora may increase or decrease due to various factors such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, stresses, treatments, diseases, nutrition, etc. Yet, in all people, the period between the ages of 20 and 30 is when the flora is at its highest quality and diversity. The biodiversity of flora decreases with aging and predisposes to many diseases.

WHAT HAPPENS WITHOUT FLORA?

It is impossible to live without flora.

WHAT IS A FLORA TRANSPLANT?

Flora transplantation is the process consisting of collecting flora samples from at least one healthy FLORA DONOR under general anesthesia through endoscopy and colonoscopy from approximately 30 different anatomical regions of the digestive system, with each region being washed with serums suitable for its own characteristics and aspirated back, subjecting these samples to some series of specific procedures, and then transplanting them endoscopically and colonoscopically to the equivalent anatomical regions of the patient under general anesthesia.

Please contact us for further information on endoscopic treatments for obesity and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

References:

1. Sebastián Domingo JJ. Irritable bowel syndrome. Med Clin (Barc). 2022 Jan 21;158(2):76-81. English, Spanish. doi: 10.1016/j.medcli.2021.04.029.
2. Liu JS, Hou XH. A review of the irritable bowel syndrome investigation on epidemiology, pathogenesis and pathophysiology in China. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2011; 26: Suppl 3: 88–93. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2011.06641.x.
3. Adriani A, Ribaldone DG, Astegiano M, Durazzo M, Saracco GM, Pellicano R. Irritable bowel syndrome: the clinical approach. Panminerva Med. 2018 Dec;60(4):213-222. doi: 10.23736/S0031-0808.18.03541-3.
4. Canakis A, Haroon M, Weber HC. Irritable bowel syndrome and gut microbiota. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2020 Feb;27(1):28-35. doi: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000523.
5. Holtmann GJ, Ford AC, Talley NJ. Pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 Oct;1(2):133-146. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(16)30023-1.
6. Altomare A, Di Rosa C, Imperia E, Emerenziani S, Cicala M, Guarino MPL. Diarrhea Predominant-Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D): Effects of Different Nutritional Patterns on IntestinalDysbiosis and Symptoms. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 29;13(5):1506. doi: 10.3390/nu13051506. PMID: 33946961; PMCID: PMC8146452.
7. Pérez de Arce E, Quera R, Beltrán CJ, Madrid AM, Nos P. Irritable bowel syndrome in inflammatory bowel disease. Synergy in alterations of the gut-brain axis? Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Jan;45(1):66-76. English, Spanish. doi: 10.1016/j.gastrohep.2021.02.022.

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