Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is so common that it’s likely you know at least one person with this functional disorder. In 2003, the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research advocated to mayors across Canada and succeeded in having April declared as IBS Awareness Month. Read all about IBS here or check out our other articles and videos below.

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• 13-20% of Canadians (approximately 5 – 7.5 million individuals) are living with IBS
• only 40% of them will seek medical help
• it is more common in women, but still affects many men
• people of all ages have IBS, from young children to the elderly
• the primary symptoms are what we call the ABCDs of IBS – Abdominal pain, Bloating, and Constipation and/or Diarrhea
• symptoms can come and go, so you might feel well for a while only to get symptoms again

Are you a visual learner? Check out our irritable bowel syndrome videos below or on our YouTube channel badgutcanada. Part one gives an overview of IBS and part two briefly discusses treatments.

IBS Awareness Month Video by Chris Robinson Photo

In 2016, we held a survey asking individuals to answer questions about their experiences with IBS. View the results at www.badgut.org/ibs-survey-results.