One of the most common disorders of the alimentary tract is that of long-standing colonic dysfunction associated with abdominal pain for which no organic buy co codamol 30 500 online cause can be found. Bowel habit is disturbed by diarrhea or constipation occurring alone or alternating. This irritable bowel syndrome is also known as spastic colon and idiopathic or nervous diarrhea.
Causes of irritable bowel syndrome are listed below.
Manometric studies from the distal colon have shown various patterns. When constipation and pain are the predominant symptoms, intraluminal pressure is usually increased and there is an increased frequency of pressure waves, whereas motor activity is often reduced in patients with painless diarrhea. These changes are not constant, and may not be detectable when the patient is symptom-free. Motility studies are not of value for diagnostic purposes.
Several factors may be involved in causation. Psychological disturbances, especially anxiety, are frequent; patients with the irritable bowel syndrome are often tense, conscientious individuals who worry excessively about family or financial affairs.
Many relate the onset of their symptoms to an attack of infective diarrhea. Some patients seem obsessed with bowel function and have taken purgative constantly to ensure regular defecation.
Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome is listed below.
The patient must first be reassured on the basis of the normal findings on examination and investigation, as anxiety may precipitate or aggravate the condition and there is sometimes an underlying fear of cancer. In patients with persistent or troublesome symptoms, measures designed to modify the intestinal dysmotility are required.
For constipation and pain, the patient should be encouraged to increase the roughage content of the diet and one of the hydrophilic colloids should be prescribed in a dose sufficient to ensure a normal bowel movement.
It is important that the patient should stop laxatives. Pain and diarrhea may be relieved by an anticholinergic drug such as dicyclomine or mebeverine hydrochloride thrice daily.
The physiological basis of the symptoms should be explained without implying that the pain is not real. For patients with painless diarrhea, improvement is buy co codamol 30 500 online commonly obtained with some dietary restriction, particularly the avoidance of fresh fruits and salads.
In patients whose principal complaint is painless diarrhea, the possibility of lactose intolerance, mild hyperthyroidism or alcohol excess should not be overlooked.