Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Children - About 5-20% of Children Have it, and Why it Happens

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a common digestive disorder whose general symptoms include one or a combination of flatulence, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, and an incomplete sensation or urgency of defecation.

IBS is termed as a functional disorder. It is merely 'functional', because there are no organic diseases involved, just that it is caused by how the intestines or the bowels have become problematic. Although it is not too prevalent in children since those in their 20's are mostly affected by it, children are not exempt from having Irritable Bowel Syndrome. About 5 - 20% of children have it, as well as one in five adults.

The human colon, also termed as the large intestine, is what absorbs the water and nutrients from the not-fully digested food that comes from the small intestine. What it cannot absorb, it moves out of the body as stool.

What happens in Irritable Bowel Syndrome is that instead of having a normal bowel movement, the process of moving out the undigested food is disrupted, so what should have been the stool doesn't go out smoothly. It is possible for it to not move, or go out too fast, or stop, start, then stop again.

There are no clear causes of IBS, although it has been observed that it runs in the family. Stress is being eyed as one of the triggers of IBS, since it can speed up or slow the stomach down. Some children have developed symptoms after stressful events, such as teething or maybe with school or home troubles.