The recognition and treatment of the irritable bowel syndrome.

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by abdominal pain and/or altered bowel habit in the absence of detectable organic bowel disease. By convention, people with simple constipation are not usually included in this group of patients. IBS is a symptom-complex with many synonyms such as irritable colon, functional bowel disorder, nervous diarrhoea or spastic colon.