Dr. Scott Becker Explains Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Dr. Scott Becker, with Austin Gastroenterology explains the differences between Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Inflammatory Bowel Disease is generally considered to be one of two things: Ulcerative Colitis which affects the colon, and Crohn’s Disease, which affects the entire digestive system including the colon. In general, people with Ulcerative Colitis will have diarrhea or pain in the left lower aspect of their abdomen. Crohn’s Disease generally affects the right side of the colon and the latter part of the small bowel. Symptoms of IBS include: • Migratory pain • Cramping • Discomfort • Doesn’t affect people in the middle of the night • Associated with stress IBD treatments have made dramatic progress in the past 15-20 years. Today there are medical treatments that can help manage the symptoms of IBD without surgery and give people their lives back.