# Advances in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders -- Enteric Bacteria and IBS



## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

Advances in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders -- Enteric Bacteria and IBSBrooks D. Cash, MD, FACP, FACG Las Vegas, Nevada; Monday, October 23, 2006 -- The functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), chief among them the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), are extremely common reasons for seeking healthcare and can be extremely frustrating to patients and clinicians because of the lack of a reliably identifiable pathophysiologic etiology and an even less reliable response to therapy. Considered by many as heterogeneous disorders with a variety of organic and psychological causes, the FGIDs have been the topic of a great deal of groundbreaking research and clinical developments over the last several years. In IBS, organic abnormalities such as abnormal serotonin signaling and homeostasis, altered densities of inflammatory cells and humoral inflammatory mediators, and disturbed visceral proprioception and central processing of pain have all been demonstrated in select groups of patients. More recently, significant attention has been directed toward clarifying the role of intestinal bacteria in the evolution of IBS symptoms. The recognition of postinfectious IBS as a common sequel of acute infectious gastroenteritis,[1] in addition to data demonstrating prevalence values of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) between 30% and 70% in patients with IBS, is driving forward research into the fields of probiotic therapy as well as antibiotic therapy to ease IBS symptoms.[2,3] This report highlights the research in this area, as presented on Monday, October 23, 2006, at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).Visit Medscape for the complete article.Copyright Â© 2006 Medscape.


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