How to say goodbye to the 'over-sensitivity syndrome' that goes to the bathroom from time to time
Aug 05, 2024
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Irritable growth syndrome is a chronic disease in which unpleasant digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain (mainly around the navel or lower abdomen), abdominal bloating, and abdominal discomfort are repeated and bowel disorders such as diarrhea or constipation are present. Fortunately, it is only a functional disorder and is known not to be related to malignant diseases such as colon cancer, but it is not inconvenient. There are also no specific diseases identified by colonoscopy, X-ray, or abdominal computed tomography (CT).
More than 1.4 million patients with irritable bowel syndrome occur annually in Korea. According to statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 1,408,497 people visited hospitals last year (2023) due to irritable growth syndrome. In 2018 and 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number exceeded 1.6 million, respectively. The global prevalence rate is estimated to be more than 10 to 15%.
Professor Choi Young-hee of the Department of Gastroenterology at the Catholic University of Korea's Incheon St. Mary's Hospital explained, "Overcrowded growth syndrome is often characterized by worsening and improving symptoms such as abdominal pain, but after defecation, it is often accompanied by mucous stools, diarrhea or constipation, abdominal distension, frequent belching, farting, general fatigue, headache, sleeplessness, and shoulder stiffness, but even if these symptoms continue for months or years, they do not progress to other fatal diseases."
▶ Representative symptom is abdominal pain...Suspected other diseases when anemia, bloody excrement, and weight loss appear
The cause of overgrowth syndrome is not clear, but it is known that it is caused by various factors such as changes in digestive tract movement, visceral hypersensitivity caused by specific foods, changes in intestinal flora caused by infection, brain-gut correlation, and response to stress. It is common in their 20s and 30s and is known to be more common in women than in men, but it actually occurs in any age group, and there is no significant difference in prevalence according to gender.
The most common symptom is abdominal pain. Although it is not severe enough to wake up while sleeping at night, abdominal pain lasts for several months and changes in bowel habits such as diarrhea and constipation have a great impact on the quality of life. At this time, abdominal pain is often related to bowel activity, and abdominal distention is often accompanied. Abdominal pain, which began at least 6 months ago, may be suspected when it is repeated at least once a week in the last 3 months.
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome often complain of excessive stress, depression, and anxiety, which are often accompanied by health concerns. In addition, after suffering from acute enteritis, the balance of intestinal microorganisms is broken, or after the 50s, the nerves become irritable due to medical problems such as various gastrointestinal problems, complaining of irritable growth syndrome. In addition, after suffering from diverticulitis (憩室炎, inflammation caused by accumulation of intestinal contents in the diverticulum wall of the large intestine), there are cases where you continue to feel uncomfortable.
However, if patients with irritable bowel syndrome have severe abdominal pain enough to wake up, or if they have warning symptoms accompanied by significant weight loss in a short period of time and gastrointestinal bleeding such as bloody excrement or black stools, they should suspect a disease other than irritable bowel syndrome and visit a hospital. In particular, △ adults over the age of 50 who have never had colonoscopy △ Gastrointestinal bleeding such as bloody excrement or melena △ Severe pain to wake up during sleep △ Unintended weight loss △ Family history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease △ Iron deficiency anemia △ If fecal examination is positive, other examinations such as colonoscopy or abdominal CT (computer tomography) may be required first.
Professor Choi Young-hee said "Overgrowth syndrome is known to be affected by certain neurotransmitters in the autonomic and sympathetic nervous systems, where the brain and intestines are connected, but a specific causal relationship cannot be determined as oneThe good thing is that irritable growth syndrome is not a death disease and does not cause more severe disease. However, psychological distress can be great because patients are stressed to the point of contracting neurosis, such as having to find out the location of the bathroom first when they leave home."
▶ Changing eating habits and increasing physical activity helps improve symptoms
To improve symptoms, it is important to change your eating habits first. High-fat diets and dairy products, fried foods, gas-producing FODMAP diets, flour foods, alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine can worsen symptoms. Fodmap is a saccharide that is easy to ferment in the intestine, and small-particle saccharides like fodmap are not completely absorbed in the small intestine and are broken down in the large intestine, where a lot of gas is generated. They include beans, garlic, cabbage, bread, milk, apples, and artificial sweeteners. Conversely, low-FODMAP diets such as rice or tomatoes, bananas, oranges, and lactose-removed milk can help improve symptoms. Lactobacillus (probiotics) is also known to be useful for abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. It's not good to stick to just one food because it's good for you. It is recommended to record the food that suits you and the food that doesn't suit you through a dietary journal.
Changing your lifestyle also helps. Increasing the amount of physical activity and exercising regularly can improve symptoms in the short term and recover psychological symptoms such as poor quality of life and chronic fatigue in the long term. Overwork or excessive stress exacerbates the course of the disease. It is recommended not to skip meals at regular times, and eating in a hurry can cause symptoms such as abdominal bloating or indigestion. If symptoms are not well controlled only by changes in diet or lifestyle, drug treatment is performed, especially if diarrhea or constipation is accompanied.
Professor Choi Young-hee said, `It is important not to get too much stress in itself, although it greatly affects the quality of life.'"Less consumption of instant food, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine while eating proper sleep and regular meals can help prevent irritable bowel syndrome." he advised.
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