IBD or IBS?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are often confused due to the similarity of their names. However, it is important to realize they are quite different conditions with different causes, although they have some symptoms in common such as abdominal discomfort and bowel irregularity.

In IBD, inflammation is the main cause of symptoms. In IBS, symptoms may be caused by the heightened stimulation of the bowel by lifestyle factors (such as stress, diet, hormones or minor irritants) and abnormalities in the rate at which the bowel moves material.