Ongoing abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits can affect every part of your day, from work to travel to time with family. If you’ve researched your symptoms, you’ve likely come across two similar-sounding conditions: IBS and IBD. At Palmetto GI, sorting out thedifference between IBS and IBDis something we do every day for our patients, and getting the right diagnosis is the first step toward feeling better.
What Are IBS and IBD?
- IBS (irritable bowel syndrome): A functional disorder, meaning the gut isn’t working the way it should, but there’s no visible damage or inflammation in the digestive tract. It’s uncomfortable and disruptive, but it doesn’t harm the intestines.
- IBD (inflammatory bowel disease): A group of chronic conditions, mainly Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, that cause real inflammation in the digestive tract. Left untreated, IBD can damage the intestines over time.
How We Tell Them Apart
The symptoms overlap.Both can cause abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, and changes in bowel habits, which is why so many of our patients arrive unsure which one they’re dealing with.
Some signs point more toward IBD.Blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, fever, fatigue, or symptoms that wake you up at night are all things we want to know about right away.
Testing gives us the answer.There’s no single test for either condition, so our team uses lab work, stool studies, and often a colonoscopy to look for inflammation and rule out other causes. That’s how we know exactly what we’re treating before we build your plan.
How We Treat Both Conditions
The good news is that you don’t have to live with either one unmanaged. For IBS, we often start with dietary changes, fiber, medication, and stress management. For IBD, our treatment focuses on calming inflammation with medications, including biologics, and ongoing monitoring to protect your digestive tract. Two of our physicians,Derek Feussner, M.D. and Lori A. Robbins, M.D., specialize in inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, so you’re in experienced hands at every visit.
When to Come See Us
You never have to figure this out alone, and you shouldn’t have to guess which condition you have. Because IBD can cause lasting damage without treatment, getting an accurate diagnosis matters. If ongoing digestive symptoms are disrupting your life,request an appointmentwith our team at Palmetto GI today. Relief starts with the right answer, and we’re here to help you find it.