Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) | Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

IBS Causes

The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) hasn’t been discovered yet, so we can say that IBS isn’t fully understood. However, there are factors that doctors and studies have determined as main contributors and causes of irritable bowel syndrome. These factors are:

1. Bacterial factors

  1. The most typical cause of IBS is an infection, so active bacterial or viral infection may severely affect the gut causing irritation and inflammation as in gastroenteritis.
  2. Modulation of the healthy bacteria living in the gut is considered a highly likely cause of irritable bowel syndrome as experts found that the intestinal bacteria of patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome is different from the bacteria of healthy people.
  3. Overgrowth in intestinal bacteria has a noticeable effect on the intestinal homeostasis (internal balance and stability) as it produces gases and toxins, causing bloating, which may lead to IBS.