Is It Possible to Have Both IBD and IBS?

Two commonly confused digestive conditions are inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 

Both IBD and IBS can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. But IBD, which can include ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, is an autoimmune disease involving inflammation, redness, and ulcers within the tissue of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These conditions often require medications to control the disease and improve symptoms. 

IBS may, alternatively, cause symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and discomfort, but IBS doesn’t generally involve any tissue damage to the colon.

Is it possible to have both IBD and IBS?

Treatment for IBD may help reduce or eliminate inflammation in the colon, which should lead to improved symptoms, according to Zöe Gottlieb, MD, Gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. This doesn’t mean the IBD is cured, but that it’s under control.

However, Dr. Gottlieb explains some people may still have gastrointestinal symptoms that are more like IBS.

“A lot of people have an overlap of both [IBS and IBD], and especially when your colon heals, your colon might be hypersensitive after all that time being inflamed,” says Dr. Gottlieb.

IBS is thought to be related to the brain-gut axis, or how the brain and gut interact. “The brain is giving the gut signals to feel pain or other symptoms that are not actually due to true damage to the wall of the bowel,” she says.

Dr. Gottlieb adds that medication and lifestyle changes may help get your IBS symptoms in check. Your care team can help you find ways to treat IBS and feel better. 

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Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.

Reviewed by:

Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP

Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician. Prior to practicing medicine, she worked as a management consultant.

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