Ibs or ibd quiz. IBS vs. IBD: Take Our Symptoms Quiz for IBS
What is the difference between IBS and IBD? Take our symptoms quiz to find out if an antibody blood test for IBS is recommended for you.
Understanding the Differences Between IBS and IBD
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are two distinct health conditions that share some similar symptoms, but they are fundamentally different illnesses. IBS is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, while IBD is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation and damage to the digestive system.
What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long-term, chronic condition that causes inflammation and ulceration in the GI tract. The two main types of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In IBD, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the cells of the bowels, leading to inflammation and tissue damage. Symptoms of IBD can include diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, joint pain, eye irritation, and skin rashes.
Diagnosing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Diagnosing IBD typically involves a combination of stool tests, blood tests, and endoscopic procedures like colonoscopy. The goal is to determine the location and severity of the inflammation in the GI tract. Crohn’s disease affects the entire GI tract, while ulcerative colitis is limited to the large intestine and rectum.
What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional GI disorder that causes persistent abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating, and changes in bowel habits, including chronic diarrhea and/or constipation. IBS does not cause lasting harm to the bowels and does not lead to cancer, but it can significantly impact a person’s quality of life.
Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
The leading known cause of IBS is food poisoning, which accounts for at least 60% of diarrheal IBS cases. When a person gets food poisoning, their immune system produces antibodies to fight the infection. However, these antibodies can also mistakenly attack a protein called vinculin, which is critical for healthy gut function. This autoimmune response leads to gut nerve damage and disruption of the gut microbiome, ultimately resulting in IBS.
Diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Traditionally, IBS was diagnosed by ruling out other conditions, especially IBD. However, an antibody blood test can now directly diagnose IBS by measuring the levels of anti-CdtB and anti-vinculin antibodies, which are elevated in the majority of patients with diarrheal IBS symptoms.
Take the IBS Symptoms Quiz
Are you unsure if your symptoms are indicative of IBS or something more serious like IBD? Take our short quiz to find out if an antibody blood test for IBS is recommended for you.
What is the difference between the symptoms of IBS and IBD?
While IBS and IBD share some common symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal pain, IBD also involves additional symptoms like rectal bleeding, joint pain, eye irritation, and skin rashes. IBD is a chronic, autoimmune condition that causes inflammation and damage to the digestive system, while IBS is a functional disorder that does not lead to long-term harm.
How is IBD diagnosed?
Diagnosing IBD typically involves a combination of stool tests, blood tests, and endoscopic procedures like colonoscopy. The goal is to determine the location and severity of the inflammation in the GI tract. Crohn’s disease affects the entire GI tract, while ulcerative colitis is limited to the large intestine and rectum.
What causes IBS?
The leading known cause of IBS is food poisoning, which accounts for at least 60% of diarrheal IBS cases. When a person gets food poisoning, their immune system produces antibodies to fight the infection, but these antibodies can also mistakenly attack a protein called vinculin, leading to gut nerve damage and disruption of the gut microbiome, ultimately resulting in IBS.
How is IBS diagnosed?
Traditionally, IBS was diagnosed by ruling out other conditions, especially IBD. However, an antibody blood test can now directly diagnose IBS by measuring the levels of anti-CdtB and anti-vinculin antibodies, which are elevated in the majority of patients with diarrheal IBS symptoms.
IBS vs. IBD | Take Our Symptoms Quiz for IBS
Symptoms Quiz
Is It Really IBS?
Take a short quiz to find out if an antibody blood test for IBS is recommended for you.
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While irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) share some symptoms, they are completely different illnesses.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long-term health issue that causes swelling and sores in the gastrointestinal tract.
IBD causes your immune system to think that food in the intestine is not supposed to be there. The body then attacks the cells of the bowels, causing inflammation and ulcerations.
There are two main types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Symptoms of IBD, like symptoms of IBS, include diarrhea and abdominal pain; however, in addition to these, IBD symptoms also include rectal bleeding, joint pain, eye irritation, and rashes.
While there is currently no known cure for IBD, there are various immunosuppressants to help manage the symptoms of IBD.
Here is an excellent patient guide to IBD published by the American Gastroenterological Society in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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How Do You Diagnose
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?
There are various ways your doctor might want to test for IBD. Diagnostic procedures might include stool tests, blood tests, and often more invasive endoscopic procedures like a colonoscopy.
Your doctor will want to know where in your body the inflammation is occurring and will want to get a clear understanding of the state of your gastrointestinal tract.
There are two types of IBD that can be diagnosed. Crohn’s disease is inflammation or ulceration located throughout the GI tract, and ulcerative colitis is inflammation found in the large bowel or rectum.
Both types of IBD have their own symptoms that guide your doctor towards the most appropriate tests.
Ulcerative Colitis
Diarrhea
Fever & fatigue
Abdominal pain and cramping
Blood in your stool
Reduced appetite
Unintended weight loss
Red, swollen eyes
Crohn’s Disease
Cramps/belly pain (often in the lower right side)
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Bleeding
Skin rash
Arthritis (painful, swollen joints)
Fatigue
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a health issue found in your intestines. It causes persistent abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating, and change in stool – some combination of chronic diarrhea and constipation. If you are suffering from these symptoms, you’re not alone. Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from IBS.
There are three types of IBS: diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D), constipation-predominant (IBS-C), and mixed-type (IBS-M, where diarrhea and constipation both persist).
IBS does not cause lasting harm to the bowels and does not lead to cancer; however, it can severely impair you physically and emotionally.
Food poisoning is the leading known cause of IBS, accounting for at least 60% of all diarrheal IBS cases. The path from food poisoning to IBS has to do with a toxin called Cytolethal Distending Toxin B, or CdtB for short. The most common bacteria that cause food poisoning like Shigella, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. coli. release the toxin CdtB into your body.
When a toxin like CdtB enters your body, your immune system fights back with an antibody – in this case, your body creates anti-CdtB. CdtB looks in some ways like vinculin, a naturally occurring protein in your body that is critical in healthy gut function. Because CdtB and vinculin can look alike, your body can think it needs to fight back against vinculin, at which point it starts producing another antibody, anti-vinculin.
The production of anti-vinculin is an autoimmune response and leads to gut nerve damage and improper functioning of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) and Migrating Motor Complexes (MMC).
When these do not function properly, your gut microbiome is disrupted. Your gut microbiome is composed of billions of bacteria in your gut that, when balanced, keep your gut healthy.
This disruption ultimately results in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Here is an excellent patient guide to IBS published by the American Gastroenterological Society.
View Study
How Do You Diagnose Irritable
Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Traditionally, IBS was an exclusionary diagnosis, meaning other diseases – especially IBD – had to be ruled out in order to diagnose IBS. Alternatively, an antibody blood test can diagnose IBS more directly.
Irritable bowel syndrome can be accurately ruled in with a simple, doctor-ordered antibody blood test. The test measures the levels of two antibodies, anti-CdtB and anti-vinculin, known to be elevated in the blood of the majority of patients experiencing IBS with diarrheal symptoms. If either antibody is elevated, a confident IBS diagnosis can be made.
A positive result on the test also indicates that the root cause of your IBS was an instance of food poisoning (gastroenteritis) that has led to a disruption in your gut microbiome. This can guide your healthcare provider to therapies that treat your microbiome, like FDA-approved antibiotics and low-fermentation diets.
If your antibody blood test result is not positive, your doctor may want to conduct other tests to diagnose your symptoms.
The American College of Gastroenterology’s Clinical Guidelines for the Management of IBS suggest “a positive diagnostic strategy” (ruling in IBS) as compared to “a diagnostic strategy of exclusion” (ruling out other diseases) “…to improve time to initiate appropriate therapy….and to improve cost-effectiveness.”
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What Is ibs-smart?
ibs-smart is the only licensed, patented test that can measure validated biomarkers, anti-CdtB and anti-vinculin, in your blood that indicate IBS with 96% – 100% positive predictive value.
Further, the test is over 90% specific in differentiating IBS from other diarrheal diseases like IBD. While IBS and IBD can co-exist, IBD itself does not lead to the elevation of these antibody biomarkers.
By accurately diagnosing your IBS and identifying the cause (a microbiome disruption caused by an infection), ibs-smart™ can expedite your path to treatment and prevent years of potentially unnecessary procedures like colonoscopies.
You can order ibs-smart without an appointment online through our online prescriber service or download a patient-doctor discussion guide to take to your next doctor’s appointment.
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Order ibs-smart Online.
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You can work with a doctor online to order ibs-smart, if it’s right for you.
The online prescriber service includes:
A symptoms evaluation by a doctor
Clear and actionable results emailed directly to you
Post-test results consultation by phone with a doctor
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Prefer to work with your healthcare provider instead? Download the ibs-smart discussion guide and educational materials here.
Post-Infectious IBS
A significant volume of research shows a clear link between food poisoning
and irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS).
Read More
Diarrhea & IBS
Chronic diarrhea can indicate disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Read More
SIBO & IBS
While what causes SIBO is an excess of bacteria, there are many conditions that can lead to SIBO like irritable bowel syndrome.
Read More
Do You Have Symptoms of IBD? Take the Test Now
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*Please note that this quiz is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice or diagnosis. If you have concerns about your health, please consult with your healthcare provider.
1
Do you have abdominal pain?
Yes, frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
No, never
2
Do you experience diarrhea?
Yes, frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
No, never
3
Have you noticed blood in your stool?
Yes, frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
No, never
4
Do you have a fever?
Yes, frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
No, never
5
Do you feel fatigued or weak?
Yes, frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
No, never
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What is inflammatory bowel disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic condition that involves inflammation of the digestive tract.
What are some common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease?
Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue.
Is inflammatory bowel disease the same as irritable bowel syndrome?
No, while both conditions can cause similar symptoms, inflammatory bowel disease involves actual inflammation in the digestive tract while irritable bowel syndrome does not.
Can dogs get inflammatory bowel disease?
Yes, dogs can get inflammatory bowel disease.
What are some symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in dogs?
Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and decreased appetite.
What are some potential treatments for inflammatory bowel disease?
Treatments can include medications to reduce inflammation, dietary changes, and sometimes surgery.
Is there a cure for inflammatory bowel disease?
There is no cure for inflammatory bowel disease, but treatments can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Can inflammatory bowel disease cause complications?
Yes, complications can include bowel obstruction, malnutrition, and increased risk of colon cancer.
What causes inflammatory bowel disease?
The exact cause is not known, but it is believed to involve genetics, an overactive immune system, and environmental factors.
Is stress a cause of inflammatory bowel disease?
While stress can exacerbate symptoms, it is not considered a direct cause of inflammatory bowel disease.
Can diet play a role in inflammatory bowel disease?
Yes, certain foods may exacerbate symptoms or trigger flare-ups, while others may help manage symptoms.
Can cats get inflammatory bowel disease?
Yes, cats can also get inflammatory bowel disease.
What are some symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in cats?
Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and decreased appetite.
How is inflammatory bowel disease diagnosed?
Diagnosis usually involves a combination of medical history, physical exam, blood tests, stool tests, and imaging tests like endoscopy or colonoscopy.
What is endoscopy?
Endoscopy is a procedure where a small camera is inserted into the digestive tract to examine the lining and detect inflammation or other abnormalities.
What is colonoscopy?
Colonoscopy is a procedure where a long, flexible tube with a camera is inserted into the colon to examine the lining and detect inflammation or other abnormalities.
Can inflammatory bowel disease be fatal?
While it is typically not fatal, complications of inflammatory bowel disease can be serious and can increase the risk of colon cancer.
How can inflammation be reduced in inflammatory bowel disease?
Inflammation can be reduced through the use of medications like steroids, immunomodulators, and biologics.
What are biologics?
Biologics are medications that target specific immune system proteins involved in the inflammation process.
Can surgery be a treatment option for inflammatory bowel disease?
In some cases, surgery may be necessary to remove damaged or diseased portions of the digestive tract.
What is a strictureplasty?
A strictureplasty is a surgical procedure where a narrowed portion of the intestine is widened to improve digestion and reduce symptoms.
Can lifestyle changes help manage inflammatory bowel disease?
Yes, lifestyle changes like stress reduction, regular exercise, and a healthy diet can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Can inflammatory bowel disease be cured with home remedies?
There is no cure for inflammatory bowel disease, and home remedies are not proven to be effective treatments.
Does smoking increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease?
Yes, smoking is a risk factor for developing inflammatory bowel disease and can make symptoms worse.
Is inflammatory bowel disease contagious?
No, inflammatory bowel disease cannot be spread from person to person or from animal to animal.
What is a fecal calprotectin test?
A fecal calprotectin test is a stool test that can help determine if there is inflammation present in the digestive tract.
What is the prognosis for inflammatory bowel disease?
The prognosis can vary depending on the severity of the disease and any complications that may arise, but most people with inflammatory bowel disease are able to manage their symptoms and lead normal lives.
Can stress management techniques help reduce symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease?
Yes, stress management techniques like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing can help reduce inflammation and improve quality of life in people with inflammatory bowel disease.