There is often confusion surrounding irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): two common diseases of the digestive tract. Both conditions can cause symptoms of diarrhea, bloating, and pain, but that is largely the extent of their similarities. In most other ways, these conditions are completely distinct from one another, and are treated with vastly different methods. Even so, due to their similar names and the overlap of their most-talked about symptoms, some people incorrectly use IBS and IBD interchangeably.
IBS and IBD are different conditions, but is it possible to have both conditions at the same time? One study found that some people may be first diagnosed with IBS before later being diagnosed with IBD (this was true more often for Crohn’s disease than ulcerative colitis)