# Inflammatory Mediators in Irritable Bowel Syndrome



## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

Maria O'Sullivan, PhDDepartment of Gastroenterology, Adelaide & Meath HospitalTrinity College, Dublin, IrelandIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition characterised by abdominal pain and altered bowel habit, in the absence of demonstrable structural gastrointestinal abnormality. Essentially the gut functions abnormally - people experience symptoms of pain, diarrhea and/or constipation but no abnormality of the bowel can be identified by standard medical tests. Numerous research studies have now documented physiological changes, including altered motility and hypersensitivity, in the gastrointestinal tract of IBS patients. The mechanisms underlying these events, however, remain unclear. There is growing evidence that inflammation in the gastrointestinal mucosa may play a role in the pathogenesis of at least a sub-set of IBS 1-3. Importantly, overt colonic inflammation precludes a diagnosis of IBS. The challenge for researchers therefore, is to record subtle changes in inflammatory mediators that are not identifiable by usual routine processes.The complete research article is here: http://www.med.unc.edu/wrkunits/2depts/med...rymediators.htm


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