Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by chronic symptoms (>6 months) of abdominal pain in combination with a disturbed bowel habit. There is an association between the intensity of abdominal pain and the need for health care utilization. A bidirectionally disordered gut-brain interaction is central in the pathophysiology of IBS where a number of factors, gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal, can contribute to the illness experience. In order to treat abdominal pain in IBS, mapping these factors in a multidimensional clinical profile is helpful.
Areas covered: This review covers basic epidemiology and pathophysiology of abdominal pain in IBS, the diagnostic approach, and a multidimensional treatment model where the management of abdominal pain is in focus.
Expert opinion: A personalized treatment of abdominal pain in IBS is possible in patients who understand the diagnosis, the potential of therapies used, and where a good continuity in the patient-doctor relationship is established.
Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; abdominal pain; diagnosis; disorders of gut-brain interaction; epidemiology; pathophysiology; treatment.