Can stress make IBS worse?

Can stress make IBS worse?

Lin Chang (UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases) gives expert video advice on: What causes IBS?; Can stress make IBS worse?; What can I tell people who insist my IBS is 'all in your head'? and more...

I think stress can increase the predisposition or the vulnerability of an individual to get Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Chronic or sustained stress is associated with an exacerbation or the onset of IBS. I don't mean acute stress that occurred just that day, but usually it's chronic or sustained stress. But actually the animal model of IBS is based on putting the animal at a neo-nate period under a stressor or what we term an early adverse life event, and as an adult the animal has the same behavior as an IBS patient. So there's probably things that go on early in life that probably lead to the breakdown of adaptive stress responsive systems leading the individual to develop or being predisposed to developing Irritable Bowel Syndrome. When you get IBS there is usually physical or psychological stressors that can cause the exacerbation of symptoms or even the onset of the symptoms.