[Irritable bowel syndrome]

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most frequent functional gastrointestinal disorders. The main symptoms are abdominal pain associated with a change in bowel habit. Headache and psychiatric disorders such as mood or anxiety disorders are often associated with IBS. Genetic predisposition, sensomotoric dysfunction, altered enteric inflammation and immune activation and disturbance of the brain-gut interaction are the most important pathogenetic factors. The diagnosis requires the new symptom-based Rome-III-criteria. Diagnostic testing primarily depends on the patients complaints, clinical and laboratory features and is then guided by the patient's age, symptom's severity and duration, alarm symptoms, psychosocial factors, and the family history for tumors. Treatment of IBS is based on an individualized evaluation and depends on disease severity, predominant symptoms and associated disorders. Treatment options include lifestyle modifications, drug therapy aimed at predominant symptoms and various forms of psychological treatments.