Irritable bowel syndrome and related disorders of gut-brain interaction.

Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, and functional diarrhoea affect 20% of the global population and follow a relapsing and remitting symptom course with gut-brain features.

• Why it matters: Their underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood, and current therapies often provide only modest benefit, leaving a need for better treatment options.
• What they did: Diagnosis relies on clinical history plus targeted tests to rule out alarm features, while management uses education, diet and lifestyle changes, fibre modification, and symptom-directed drugs.
• The result: Empathetic, tailored care improves quality of life and symptoms, reduces health-care use, and supports adherence, while ongoing drug development aims to expand modestly effective options.

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