ONE OF the Republic's leading researchers on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is optimistic about the chances of developing a diagnostic test for the increasingly common condition.
President of the World Gastroenterology Organisation, Prof Eamonn Quigley, is also hugely optimistic about the role of probiotics in treating IBS.
Speaking at a recent IBS Open Day at University College Cork, Prof Quigley said the most important message for patients and doctors was that "IBS is finally being taken seriously".
IBS is characterised by abdominal pain and discomfort, associated with alterations in bowel pattern which can be either diarrhoea or constipation, with the majority of patients alternating between one and the other.
Prof Quigley said that the main conclusions of research on IBS was that the disease was common and for some, it was associated with a significant impairment in quality of life and was far from being a minor disorder.
