Comorbidities

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is known to coexist with gastrointestinal complications such as functional dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as extraintestinal complications such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chronic pelvic pain, and psychological disorders including panic disorder and depression. This is easy to understand because IBS is a disease of intestinal motility disorders and visceral hyperalgesia, which may affect the upper gastrointestinal tract, which is a contiguous organ. Furthermore, extra-gastrointestinal complications are associated with visceral hyperalgesia and autonomic nervous system dysfunction, making it easy to understand why they tend to coexist. Because the symptoms of IBS can result in abdominal pain and defecation problems similar to those of inflammatory bowel disease, it is important not to miss the early signs of inflammatory bowel disease or signs of deterioration.