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Published on: November 30, 2016

New treatments for irritable bowel syndrome in women

Mopelola A Adeyemo1, Lin Chang

  • 1Center for Neurobiology of Stress, Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Building 115, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA. madeyemo@mednet.ucla.edu

Women'S Health (London, England)
|December 17, 2008
PubMed

The estimated prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Western countries is 7-15%, with a female:male ratio of 2-2.5:1 in IBS patients who seek healthcare services; however, the female predominance is lower in the general population. IBS has a significant impact on health-related quality of life and is associated with a significant healthcare and economic burden. Management of IBS is comprised of general measures and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment. However, there are ongoing efforts to find more effective therapeutic approaches. As advancements in the understanding of the pathophysiology of IBS continue to grow, new and effective treatments with novel mechanisms of action that have the potential to improve relief of IBS symptoms over current treatments are likely to be developed. This article provides an overview of current and emerging therapies for IBS and also highlights sex and gender differences in clinical trials and treatment response.

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