Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains one of the most
common gastrointestinal disorders seen by clinicians in
both primary and secondary care. Since publication of the
last British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guideline
in 2007, substantial advances have been made in
understanding its complex pathophysiology, resulting in
its re-classification
as a disorder of gut-brain
interaction,
rather than a functional gastrointestinal disorder.
Moreover, there has been a considerable amount of
new evidence published concerning the diagnosis,
investigation and management of IBS. The primary aim
of this guideline, commissioned by the BSG, is to review
and summarise the current evidence to inform and guide
clinical practice, by providing a practical framework for
evidence-based
management of patients. One of the
strengths of this guideline is that the recommendations
for treatment are based on evidence derived from a
comprehensive search of the medical literature, which
was used to inform an update of a series of trial-based
and network meta-analyses
assessing the efficacy of
dietary, pharmacological and psychological therapies
in treating IBS. Specific recommendations have been
made according to the Grading of Recommendations
Assessment, Development and Evaluation system,
summarising both the strength of the recommendations
and the overall quality of evidence. Finally, this guideline
identifies novel treatments that are in development,
as well as highlighting areas of unmet need for future
research.
Original languageEnglish
Article number70
Pages (from-to)1214-1240
Number of pages27
JournalGut
Volume70
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2021

Keywords

  • IBS
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Management

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