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Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Pain
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Doctors usually diagnose the syndrome based on a physical exam and a patient's symptoms. For example, if a person has had abdominal pain for more than 12 weeks out of the previous year (not necessarily 12 weeks in a row), it's a sign to a doctor that IBS may be a possibility.
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IBS has a broad range of symptoms; the most common are abdominal pain and altered bowel movements. Although symptoms may vary among patients, a pattern usually develops for each patient. The presence of characteristic symptoms in an otherwise healthy individual is sufficient to make a diagnosis of IBS in most individuals.
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If you are concerned about IBS, it is important to realize that normal bowel function varies from person to person. Normal bowel movements range from as many as three stools a day to as few as three a week. A normal movement is one that is formed but not hard, contains no blood, and is passed without cramps or pain.
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