Post-Infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Published in: Current Gastroenterology Reports
• Main Author: Lee Y.Y.; Annamalai C.; Rao S.S.C.
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Published: Current Medicine Group LLC 1 2017
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85029955034&doi=10.1007%2fs11894-017-0595-4&partnerID=40&md5=a7a6434ca8a4243031c5fb76d67c8012

Purpose of Review: Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) is characterized by persistent abdominal pain and diarrhea, typically following an episode of infectious gastroenteritis. The mechanisms that underlie IBS-D remain elusive, but PI-IBS provides a mechanistic model of this disorder. This review provides an up-to-date appraisal of the pathophysiology, clinical features, and management approaches for PI-IBS. Recent Findings: Disordered immune reactions and release of cytokines with resultant gut inflammation and dysfunction appear to be key features of PI-IBS. Disordered brain-gut-microbiota interactions, type of infecting agent, and host-genetic susceptibility are risk factors but also are reasons for the varying spectrum of clinical severity. Although prognosis is generally good, symptoms and inflammation may persist for a long time. Symptomatic relief with antidiarrheals, antispasmodics, 5HT3 antagonists, mesalamine, probiotics, and low-dose antidepressants remain the primary approaches, but in some difficult cases, a combination of drugs that target the pathophysiology may be helpful. Summary: PI-IBS has many overlapping features with IBS-D and shares similar pathophysiology and management approaches. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.