In search for a disease-modifying treatment in irritable bowel syndrome

IBS continues to evade the efforts of medical science to translate knowledge of putative pathogenetic or pathophysiological mechanisms into successful pharmacological treatments. To some extent, laxatives and antidiarrhoeal medications are able to improve the erratic bowel habits associated with IBS, and recently linaclotides have been shown to relieve abdominal pain and constipation in IBS-C.1 Even so, in those experiencing treatment success this cannot be linked to a disease-modifying effect, since stopping the treatment leads to recurrence of symptoms. From this point of view, a hot topic during the past decades has been the many reports of low-grade immune activation in subgroups of patients with IBS.2 The early observations of GI infections as a risk factor for developing IBS,3 but also other functional GI disorders such as functional dyspepsia,4 has sent signals of hope for anti-inflammatory treatment as a promising approach for...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research