A simple irritable bowel from a specific food allergy is different from irritable bowel syndrome disease (IBS), which is a general term for a group of diseases involving the gut-wall inflammation. IBS involves actual physical changes associated with the gut-wall that can be noted on any diagnostic laboratory tests. So irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is divided into two major groups: Chrohn’s disease and ulcerative Colitis. Chrohn’s disease can be diagnosed accurately with a barium swallow and ulcerative colitis with a barium enema. Both allows the observation of the characteristic inflammatory changes of the bowel wall.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome in general can cause a wide range of bowel symptoms and is generally accompanied by fatigue and arthritic symptoms. This can affect one’s life-style and mental state along with being generally debilitating. The condition tends to be worse when in situations that cause stress of any kind.