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What’s the difference between IBS and IBD? 🤷🏾‍♀️

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) are both gastrointestinal disorders that cause digestive upset.

So, apart from the last letter of their names, what’s the difference? Let’s take a look: 👀

🔸𝐈𝐁𝐒:
IBS is believed to result from a combination of factors, including altered gut motility, visceral hypersensitivity, and psychosocial factors. It is considered a functional gastrointestinal disorder, meaning there is no structural or biochemical abnormality that can be identified through routine medical tests.

🔹𝐈𝐁𝐃:
IBD encompasses two major conditions: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, and its primary etiology is believed to involve an abnormal immune response to the gut microbiota in genetically susceptible individuals.

Common symptoms of IBS include:
🚫 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭
🚫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 (𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐚, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡)
🚫 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
🚫 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝

Symptoms of IBD can be similar to those of IBS, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloating. However, there is evidence of inflammation and structural damage in the gastrointestinal tract, which can be observed through endoscopic examinations and imaging studies.

Diagnosis of IBS is primarily based on clinical criteria. There are no specific laboratory tests or imaging studies that can definitively diagnose IBS. With IBD, diagnosis involves a combination of:

👉🏽𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
👉🏽𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 (𝐞.𝐠., 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲)
👉🏽𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬
👉🏽𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐞.𝐠., 𝐌𝐑𝐈 𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐓 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬)
👉🏽𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬

In summary, the key difference between IBS and IBD lies in the fact that IBS is considered a functional disorder with no visible pathology, while IBD involves chronic inflammation and structural changes in the gut.

Confused about the difference between other conditions? Comment which conditions and I’ll consider making a post about them! ✨

Simple, healthy changes to the diet like adding more variety of fruits and vegetables can improve blood pressure and heart health thanks to help from your microbiome.

Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables helps increase the diversity of bacteria in the gut. The gut microbiome plays a key role in digestion, absorption of nutrients, and many other factors of overall health.

Recent studies find that a healthy and diverse gut microbiome helps the body metabolize flavonoids, antioxidant compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and plant-based foods, making them more bioavailable. The study results showed an improvement in blood pressure, lowering the risk of future heart disease.

Flavonoids can be found in everything from berries, apples, and pears, to kale, broccoli, bell peppers, dark chocolate, green tea, and even wine!

Read more on the study below
https://loom.ly/P-_Qwy8