One of the most frequent questions I get from readers has to do with experiencing nausea alongside their bowel symptoms. My answer is always the same; "I am not a medical doctor, but when I hear nausea, I always think of the gallbladder." If you are experiencing upper abdominal symptoms alongside your IBS, you will want to learn more about this vital organ. This article will educate you as to what your gallbladder does and how to recognize symptoms of a gallbladder problem.
The treasure hunt for those elusive biomarkers for IBS may have just seen a little positive progress. A new study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology took a look at some specific proteins and their association with IBS to see if they might be possible candidates as diagnostic markers of the disorder.
According to the study abstract, the researchers looked at "chromogranins" and "secretogranins", two proteins found in the "enteric, endocrine, and immune systems". Fecal samples were provided by 82 IBS patients and 32 control subjects and analyzed for the presence of these granins. The results indicated that levels of some of the sub-types of the granins were able to identify the IBS patients.
This small study appears to offer some nice promise for the future. For most IBS sufferers, confirmation of the disorder through the use of a stool sample would be very reassuring, as it can be quite disheartening to feel so awful, yet be told that all tests are coming back as normal. I look forward to seeing continued research along this vein.
Related Reading from Dr. Bolen, Your IBS Guide:
Source:
Ohman, L., et.al. "Altered Levels of Fecal Chromogranins and Secretogranins in IBS: Relevance for Pathophysiology and Symptoms?" The American Journal of Gastroenterology 2012 107:440-447.
My fellow guides here at About.com continue to publish excellent articles covering all aspects of digestive health. I have picked out some that I think may be of special interest to you, my loyal readers:
From Amber Tresca, Guide to Inflammatory Bowel Disease:
From Julie Wilkinson, Guide to Colon Cancer:
From Jane Anderson, Guide to Celiac Disease:
From Sharon Gillson, Guide to Heartburn/GERD:
Now that we are finished with
IBS Awareness Month, it is time for a test! Don't panic, it can be open book if you like. Go ahead, take my fun quiz and see how much you know about IBS:
