What Symptoms and Diseases Need to Be Ruled Out For an IBS Diagnosis?
In essence, the diagnosis of IBS is a process of exclusion. There is no medical test available that will be positive for IBS; instead, your doctor will test you for all other illnesses that can mimic IBS symptoms, and if those tests are negative, and if your symptoms fit the Rome II Guidelines for Diagnosis, you’ll then be diagnosed with IBS. In particular, it’s important that the following diseases are excluded before you accept a diagnosis of IBS: Colon and carcinoid cancer Inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis) Bowel obstructions Diverticulosis / Diverticulitis Gallstones Food allergies Celiac (a genetic, autoimmune disorder resulting in gluten intolerance) Bacterial infections and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) Intestinal parasites Endometriosis Ovarian cancer What Tests Does a Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Require? As a rule, all possible physical, structural, and infectious abnormalities of the GI tract need to be unquestionably eliminat
