IBS Awareness Month 2023

This year 2023, the irritable bowel syndrome awareness month theme is to "Join patients, family members, and caregivers raising the public awareness of IBS and help destigmatize the wide varieties of IBS".

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a group of symptoms that affect your digestive system. It’s a common but uncomfortable gastrointestinal disorder.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month is a globally recognised and celebrated healthcare event observed every year in the month of April. During the entire month, various awareness campaigns and activities to promote are conducted by several worldwide organisations to understand the early diagnosis, treatment and preventive tips for irritable bowel syndrome.

in 1997, the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) established April as IBS Awareness Month.

The most common symptoms of IBS are: abdominal pain and cramping, which may be relieved by moving your bowels, a change in your bowel habits- such as diarrhea, constipation or sometimes both, bloating and swelling of your stomach, excessive wind, occasionally experiencing an urgent need to move your bowels, lack of energy (lethargy), feeling sick, heartburn

Treatment of IBS focuses on relieving symptoms so that you can live as symptom-free as possible. Mild symptoms can often be controlled by managing stress and by making changes in your diet and lifestyle. If your problems are moderate or severe, your provider might suggest counseling, especially if you have depression or if stress tends to make your symptoms worse. Based on your symptoms, medications may be recommended