Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder of the intestines that causes diarrhea and abdominal pain. IBS can severely impact suffers’ quality of life. For this reason, drug companies are working on creating drugs to combat this disorder. Advanced Research Institute is holding irritable bowel syndrome clinical trials in Sandy and Ogden, Utah, and Reno, Nevada.
What Are the Symptoms of IBS?
It can be difficult to diagnose IBS, since there is no test for it. Rather, it is more of a collection of symptoms — hence the word “syndrome” in the name.
There are three types of IBS — IBS associated with constipation, IBS associated with diarrhea and a combination of both. For the purpose of our irritable bowel syndrome clinical trials, we are working only with IBS-D (diarrhea) patients.
To be diagnosed with IBS-D, you must have abdominal pain and either altered stool consistency or frequency at least one day a week for three months. Because diarrhea and abdominal discomfort are related to so many other illnesses, however, doctors usually run a battery of tests to rule out other conditions such as celiac disease, lactose intolerance, diverticulitis and stress.
IBS, besides being uncomfortable, can greatly limit the lives of sufferers, causing them to miss work, school, appointments and other important engagements. Many sufferers cannot predict when their IBS will flare up, leading to social anxiety and even isolation.
Once initial testing is complete, it is up to the Food and Drug Administration to clear the drug for testing on humans. That’s when our clinical trial company puts out the call for volunteers to participate in the studies. Today, we are looking for IBS sufferers between the ages of 18 and 80 who have three loose or watery stools per day accompanied by abdominal pain.
