Authors' response: Bile acids are important in the pathophysiology of IBS

We thank Dr Aziz et al1 for expressing their interest in our recent paper, where we demonstrate that bile acids entering the colon may be an important factor for generation of part of the symptoms in patients who fulfil current diagnostic criteria for IBS.2 We agree with their comment that clinicians managing patients with IBS should be aware of the fact that an abnormal 75Se-labelled homocholic acid-taurine (75SeHCAT) test is quite a common finding in patients with non-constipated IBS, and that treating patients with IBS and an abnormal 75SeHCAT test with a bile acid binding agent may improve some of the key symptoms in these patients, especially diarrhoeal symptoms. However, we do not think that an abnormal 75SeHCAT test in a patient with typical IBS symptoms, that is, abdominal pain and/or discomfort associated with bowel habit disturbance, excludes an IBS diagnosis. In our study, it...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: PostScript Source Type: research