Many people with bowel problems wonder if they have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This can only be confirmed by extensive tests as part of an irritable bowel diagnosis carried out by a doctor. A diagnosis based on pure self-tests is very dangerous because a doctor must rule out diseases such as colorectal cancer. This is by no means possible with irritable bowel tests online or with naturopaths. Once the diagnosis is confirmed,** **irritable bowel tests help determine the course and severity of the disease. During therapy, irritable bowel tests provide information about the success of the treatment.
What irritable bowel tests are there?
The following two IBS tests are important to know:
- Disease severity: IBS-SSS (IBS Severity Scoring System), a questionnaire to record the severity of IBS
- Reduction of quality of life: IBS-QOL (Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life), a test to assess the quality of life with IBS
What is the IBS-SSS test?
The IBS-SSS is a very frequently used test that measures the severity of the disease in those with irritable bowel syndrome. It was validated in English in 1997 and in German in 2013 in a larger group of patients and has since been used in many medical studies and in everyday clinical practice. In the test, the doctor and patient assess, among other things, pain, flatulence, bowel problems, and quality of life.
- In the **first part **of the test, the severity of symptoms is assessed using questions.
- The **second part **of the test asks for more information about the symptoms, such as the texture and consistency of the stool and the location of the abdominal pain. The test result is a score that indicates the severity of the digestive problems. The IBS-SSS takes a total of about five minutes.
What is the IBS-QOL test?
The IBS-QOL is a test for the quality of life of those who suffer from IBS. It takes about ten minutes and has been translated into different languages. The test consists of 34 questions and provides a score that shows the quality of life of those with IBS: A high test result indicates a good quality of life.
How exactly is quality of life measured in those with IBS?
Different tests and questionnaires are used to measure the course and severity of IBS. These give the doctor and patient feedback on how severe the disease is. The quality of life plays a special role in chronic diseases, since the disease can have a negative impact on many areas of life.
How do people with IBS experience their illness?
Suffering from IBS is very frustrating because the disease dominates everyday life due to its unpredictability. Affected people often have certain negative thoughts in mind that resemble the following questions:
- Can I wear this despite my bloated stomach?
- How will my stomach react when I eat this and that?
- What do the others think if I keep running to the toilet?
- What do I do if there is no toilet nearby?
- How do I explain my problem to others?
- What happens if I cancel the appointment because of my problems?
- What do I do if I get hungry and can't find anything to eat?
In some cases, those affected also feel dirty and disgusted with themselves. In other cases, social and sexual life are significantly restricted.
What concerns do those with severe intestinal problems have?
With particularly severe and long-lasting bowel problems, it is usually not the physical symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, or flatulence that are the most stressful. Rather, the social and psychological restrictions caused by IBS are perceived as particularly stressful. Certain tests have shown that three feelings are particularly dominant here:
- Frustration
- Isolation
- Dissatisfaction with health care
How severely does IBS restrict quality of life?
It is often underestimated how much the quality of life suffers in people with IBS. On average, people with mild to moderate symptoms state that they are limited by IBS in everyday life for 73 days a year. This corresponds to a reduced quality of life every fifth day.
Do doctors and patients agree on the severity of IBS?
No, mostly the assessments differ. Doctors and patients often have different theories about the cause and severity of IBS, but also about the method and success of treatment. Doctors rate the severity of irritable bowel symptoms and the reduction in quality of life on average less seriously than the affected patients. To date, no precise causes of IBS are known, so patients are often dissatisfied with the answers given by their doctors.
Treatment options are also limited. Many patients suspect that their diet (e.g. allergies and intolerances) or psychological problems are responsible for the disease, although their doctors cannot confirm this. All of these factors make the doctor-patient relationship complex and can make it difficult to treat IBS.
Betz, C., Mannsdörfer, K. and Bischoff, S.C., 2013. [Validation of the IBS-SSS]. Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie, 51(10), pp.1171-1176. Downloaded on 09/05/2016 from https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0033-1335260
Houghton, L.A., Heitkemper, M., Crowell, M.D., Emmanuel, A., Halpert, A., McRoberts, J.A. and Toner, B., 2016. Age, Gender, and Women’s Health and the Patient. Gastroenterology, 150(6), pp.1332-1343. Downloaded on 09/05/2016 from http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(16)00183-9/abstract
Drossman, D.A., Patrick, D.L., Whitehead, W.E., Toner, B.B., Diamant, N.E., Hu, Y., Jia, H. and Bangdiwala, S.I., 2000. Further validation of the IBS-QOL: a disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire. The American journal of gastroenterology, 95(4), pp.999-1007. Downloaded on 09/05/2016 from http://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/v95/n4/fig_tab/ajg2000256t4.html
Francis, C.Y., Morris, J. and Whorwell, P.J., 1997. The irritable bowel severity scoring system: a simple method of monitoring irritable bowel syndrome and its progress. Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 11(2), pp.395-402. Downloaded on 09/05/2016 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2036.1997.142318000.x/epdf
