Question: Hello. I just wanted to ask: you said that you worked with people who had bowel problems. I am a Coeliac and it is very likely I have IBS. What is the difference between IBS and IBD please?

Nuru Noor answered on 5 Mar 2020:

Really good question 👍 and easy to get confused because IBS and IBD sound so similar.

IBD is inflammatory bowel disease. It’s a condition which affects about 1 in 100 people and getting more common. We don’t really fully understand why people – particularly young people – develop this condition. But essentially the cells in the body begin to attack the bowel and cause symptoms.

A bit like what happens in join conditions like arthritis, or skin conditions like psoriasis. The main different treatments all tell those cells to calm down and let the bowel begin to heal itself so hopefully the symptoms can all be settled down.

IBS is irritable bowel syndrome. This is VERY common, and affects at least 1 in 10 people and maybe more. The symptoms can be very variable but usually it causes things like bloating, tummy pain, and bowel symptoms like constipation or diarrhoea or even changing between the two. The main part of treating irritable bowel is trying to make the bowel less irritable – mostly from lifestyle changes. So eating the right foods, doing regular exercise, drinking plenty of fluids, getting enough sleep each day and so on.

As you say, sometimes it can be common to have something like coeliac disease as well as irritable bowel. The main thing from the coeliac point of view is sticking with a low gluten diet and then the above things we mentioned can often help with irritable bowel symptoms.

This is a really basic overview, but quite helpful for people wondering what the difference between these common conditions may be. So excellent question.