IBS risk factors: sex, age, family history, stress and gut infections

What IBS is

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a group of symptoms that occur together, including repeated pain in your abdomen and changes in your bowel movements, which may be diarrhea, constipation, or both. With IBS, you have these symptoms without any visible signs of damage or disease in your digestive tract (NIDDK). IBS is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, which doctors now call a disorder of gut-brain interaction (NIDDK).

Although IBS can cause a great deal of discomfort, it does not harm the intestines (MedlinePlus). Studies suggest that about 12 percent of people in the United States have IBS (NIDDK).

Who is more likely to develop IBS

• Women. Women are up to two times more likely than men to develop IBS (NIDDK).
• Younger adults. People younger than age 50 are more likely to develop IBS than people older than age 50 (NIDDK). MedlinePlus notes that IBS is most often found in people younger than 45 years (MedlinePlus).

Factors that can increase your chance of having IBS include (NIDDK):

• having a family member with IBS
• a history of stressful or difficult life events, such as abuse, in childhood
• having a severe infection in your digestive tract

What may play a role

Doctors aren't sure what causes IBS. Experts think that a combination of problems may lead to IBS, and different factors may cause IBS in different people (NIDDK). No one knows the exact cause of IBS (MedlinePlus).

Experts think that problems with brain-gut interaction may affect how your body works and cause IBS symptoms. For example, in some people with IBS, food may move too slowly or too quickly through the digestive tract, and some may feel pain when a normal amount of gas or stool is in the gut (NIDDK).

Certain problems are more common in people with IBS, and experts think these problems may play a role in causing it (NIDDK):

• stressful or difficult early life events, such as physical or sexual abuse
• certain mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom disorder
• bacterial infections in your digestive tract
• small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, an increase in the number or a change in the type of bacteria in your small intestine
• food intolerances or sensitivities, in which certain foods cause digestive symptoms

Research suggests that genes may make some people more likely to develop IBS (NIDDK).

Health problems that often occur with IBS

People with IBS often have other health problems, including (NIDDK):

• certain conditions that involve chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic pelvic pain
• certain digestive diseases, such as dyspepsia and gastroesophageal reflux disease
• certain mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and somatic symptom disorder

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of IBS are pain in your abdomen, often related to your bowel movements, and changes in your bowel movements: diarrhea, constipation, or both, depending on what type of IBS you have (NIDDK). Other symptoms may include bloating, the feeling that you haven't finished a bowel movement, and whitish mucus in your stool. Women with IBS often have more symptoms during their periods (NIDDK).

IBS is a chronic disorder, meaning it lasts a long time, often years, but the symptoms may come and go (NIDDK). You should talk to your doctor if your symptoms are like the symptoms of IBS (NIDDK).

Symptoms that may point to another health problem

Certain symptoms may suggest that you have another health problem instead of IBS. These symptoms include (NIDDK):

• anemia
• bleeding from your rectum
• bloody stools or stools that are black and tarry
• weight loss

Your doctor will also ask about a family history of digestive diseases, such as celiac disease, colon cancer, or inflammatory bowel disease (NIDDK). In most cases, doctors don't use tests to diagnose IBS, but they may order tests to rule out other health problems, such as an upper GI endoscopy with a biopsy to check for celiac disease or a colonoscopy to check for conditions such as colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease (NIDDK).

Hemorrhoids are a common cause of bleeding from the rectum, but other conditions can also cause bleeding, including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer, and anal cancer (MedlinePlus). See hemorrhoids risk factors.

Common questions

Does IBS damage the intestines?

No. IBS can be painful but doesn't lead to other health problems or damage your digestive tract (NIDDK).

Is IBS more common in women?

Yes. Women are up to two times more likely than men to develop IBS (NIDDK).

Can a stomach bug lead to IBS?

Having a severe infection in your digestive tract is one of the factors that can increase your chance of having IBS (NIDDK).