What is the difference between inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?
IBS is a common intestinal disorder that causes cramps, gas, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation. In fact, approximately 25 percent of people living in the United States have reported IBS symptoms. Only the common cold causes more people to miss work than IBS. While both IBD and IBS share some symptoms (such as cramping and diarrhea), IBS is a temporary dysfunction, not a disease, while both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic and extremely serious.
