American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement: Irritable bowel syndrome

The following guidelines were developed to assist the physician in the diagnosis and management of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). They emanate from a comprehensive review of the medical literature pertaining to IBS.¹ The IBS is a combination of chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms not explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities, which is attributed to the intestines and associated with symptoms of pain and disturbed defecation and/or symptoms of bloatedness and distension.GASTROENTEROLOGY 1997;112:2118-2119