Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) such as IBS are now referred to by gastroenterologists as disorders of gut-brain interactions (DGBIs) because scientists now know how closely linked your brain and gut are. The nerves in your brain run throughout your intestinal system. Some scientists refer to the gut as the body’s second brain.
DGBIs like IBS can cause your intestinal tract to be more sensitive than it should be and changes how the muscles in your bowel contract, which in turn results in problems with diarrhea, gas, constipation, frequency of bowel movements, pain, and bloating.
Does IBS have other names?
In the past, IBS was called IBS colitis, spastic colon, nervous colon, spastic bowel, and mucous colitis.
Currently, there are different categories of IBS based on the different patterns or irregularities of your bowel movements. Some treatments work only for some types of IBS or can make other types worse.
The different types of IBS
- IBS with constipation (IBS-C): on the days you have at least one abnormal bowel movement, more than ¼ of your stools are hard or lumpy, and less than ¼ are loose or watery
- IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D): on the days when you have at least one abnormal bowel movement, more than ¼ of your stools are loose or watery, and less than ¼ are hard or lumpy
- IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M): on the days when you have at least one abnormal bowel movement. More than ¼ of your stools are hard or lumpy and more than ¼ of your stools are loose or watery
