Editing Defecation (section)

===Irritable bowel syndrome===
{{main|Irritable bowel syndrome}}
Irritable bowel syndrome is diagnosed as an intestinal disorder with chronic abdominal pain and inconsistency in form of stool, and is a common bowel disease that can be easily diagnosed in modern society.<ref name=":4">{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-323-54731-4.00076-1 |chapter=Irritable Bowel Syndrome |title=Atlas of Common Pain Syndromes |year=2019 |last1=Waldman |first1=Steven D. |pages=294–297 |isbn=978-0-323-54731-4 |s2cid=239092846 }}</ref> The variation in incident rate can be explained by different diagnostic criteria in different countries, with the 18–34 age group being recognized as the high frequency incident group.<ref name=":4" /> The definite cause of irritable bowel syndrome remains a mystery; however, it has been found to relate to multiple factors, such as 'alternation of mood and pressure, sleep disorders, food triggers, changing of dysbiosis and even sexual dysfunction'.<ref name=":4" /> One third of irritable bowel syndrome patients has family history with the disease suggesting that genetic predisposition could be a significant cause for irritable bowel syndrome.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last1=Farmer|first1=Adam D|last2=Ruffle|first2=James K|date=May 2019|title=Irritable bowel syndrome|journal=Medicine|volume=47|issue=6|pages=350–353|doi=10.1016/j.mpmed.2019.03.009|pmid=27159638|pmc=5001845}}</ref>

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome commonly experience abdominal pain, changes to stool form, recurrent abdominal bloating and gas,<ref name=":6" /> co-morbid disorders and alternation in bowel habits that caused diarrhea or constipation.<ref name=":4" /> However, anxiety and tension can also be detected, although patients with irritable bowel disease seem healthy. Apart from these typical symptoms, rectal bleeding, unexpected weight loss and increased inflammatory markers require further medical examination and investigation.<ref name=":4" />

Treatment for irritable bowel disease is multimodal. Dietary intervention and pharmacotherapies can both relieve the symptoms to a certain degree. Avoiding allergic food groups can be beneficial by reducing fermentation in the digestive tract and gas production, hence effectively alleviating abdominal pain and bloating.<ref name=":4" /> Drug interventions, such as laxatives, loperamide,<ref name=":4" /> and lubiprostone<ref name=":6" /> are applied to relieve intense symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal pain and constipation. Psychological treatment, dietary supplements<ref name=":4" /> and gut-focused hypnotherapy<ref name=":6" /> are recommended for targeting depression, mood disorders and sleep disturbance.