Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Ibs Test

Question:
Is there a specific test that actually can diagnose IBS or is this done through process of elimination of other disorders through standard tests such as colonoscopy, barium enema, etc.?

Answer:
By elimination of all other disorders. It is a label used when the doctor can't find the cause, but has to give the obvious symptoms some sort of label. Be sure that a test for celiac disease is included before you are given the IBS label. IBS is one of the most common symptoms of undiagnosed celiac disease. And the best serum test for it these days is the ELISA test based on tTG (tissue Transglutaminase). Not that this one is perfect, but is more accurate than the others that have been used. Currently IBS is diagnosed when you have a certain set of symptoms, but the results of the above tests are normal. There are a few things used in clinical studies that generally test abnormal in IBSers compared to normals but none have been tested with enough other GI syndromes to be used diagnostically. The more typical your symptoms are, the more likely it is IBS so your doctor may need a different number of tests before putting you in the IBS category. Blood in the stools, unexplained weight loss (like you eat more than everyone you know and lose weight, not the eating hurts so I sometimes don't eat much for many days on end weight loss), anemia, pain that wakes you up in the middle of the night (usually, but not always the pain of IBS subsides during the night) are all things that may mean you will need more tests. Additionally the older you are the more likely you will need more testing.