IBS Charts – finding statistics about IBS is not an easy task.
Suffering in Silence
Irritable Bowel Syndome is in large, a condition that is often sufferered in silence. Many people inflicted with IBS find that talking about their IBS symptoms would be too embarrassing.
Not only are some of the symptoms that IBS presents, embarrassing but it also allows others to critique their weakness such as those you report to at work, coworkers, family, friends, etc.
Tops Reasons to Miss Work
IBS has been known as the #2 reason for people to miss work due to the difficulty in managing their IBS symptoms. The #1 reason would be the common flu that people often catch on a yearly basis.
Although not all IBS sufferers often miss work, some do because the symptoms that they are experiencing, are far too severe to be able to properly manage them.
Percentage of Doctor Visits
Gastroenterologists in the United States, most often diagnose patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome over any other conditions. Statistically, about 15% of the US adult population are affected and approximately 12% of all visits to the primary physicians, are IBS related.
This places a large burden on the medical system, simply because of the sheer volume of IBS sufferers who are requesting for medical aid. The unfortunate news is, there are no statistics showing how often an IBS sufferer is turned away from, without any solutions. This situation most likely hovers around the range of 80-90% as IBS sufferers begin to navigate through the “dense forest”, seeking their own self-help to heal their condition.
Medical Costs
IBS costs the US medical system $8 billion per year in medical expenses. However, the medical doctors still see this problem as one resulting from stress and depression. This results in little research and funding to work on a medication or solution that can reverse this condition permanently, relieving the medical system of a high financial burden.
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