Real-time monitoring of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) changes can help improve the quality of life of IBS patients and help elucidate the pathophysiology.
What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a difficult disease to treat, characterized by chronic abdominal pain related to bowel movements, of which there are four types: diarrheal, constipation, mixed, and unclassifiable. Patients with IBS report a reduction in quality of life and experiences of social discomfort, as they are forced to restrict their activity, such as work or travel, because of the sudden and unpredictable need to use the bathroom. While there have been studies of IBS-related abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system based on 24-hour electrocardiogram measurement, until now none of them examined changes in the autonomic nervous system during bowel movements.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) causes recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort and a fluctuating disturbance in defecation. IBS is not life threatening.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) causes recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort and a fluctuating disturbance in defecation. IBS is not life threatening.
‘The activation of the sympathetic nervous system was found to be associated with greater abdominal pain and lower quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.’
Associate Professor Fumio Tanaka and his research group at the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine recorded the autonomic nervous system activity of IBS patients and healthy subjects using a wearable device and tracked activities such as defecation and sleep. As a result, they found that unlike healthy subjects, the sympathetic nervous system of IBS patients was activated 2 minutes before defecation and persisted until 9 minutes after defecation. The research results were published online in PLOS ONE.
“This research is characterized by the fact that autonomic nervous system functions are measured using a clothing-type wearable device, and that lifestyle events such as defecation and abdominal symptoms are input simultaneously in real time, using a smartphone application originally developed by our group. As a result, autonomic nervous system activity during defecation was accurately evaluated,” Professor Tanaka concluded.
Quiz on Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Frequent bowel disturbances are a sign of possible cancerous changes; Here's a quiz to help you to brush up your knowledge on irritable bowel disorder.
Frequent bowel disturbances are a sign of possible cancerous changes; Here's a quiz to help you to brush up your knowledge on irritable bowel disorder.
Gravity may Trigger Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Here's How
Does gravity cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? Yes, IBS, the most common gastrointestinal disorder, might be a symptom of gravity intolerance.
Does gravity cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? Yes, IBS, the most common gastrointestinal disorder, might be a symptom of gravity intolerance.
