title: Perspectives on irritable bowel syndrome: where have we been? Where are we now?
abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic functional disorder with a complex etiology and multiple overlapping symptoms. Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by long-lasting abdominal pain or discomfort, abnormal bowel habits and typically inadequate response to many of the available therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Diseases and Internal Medicine, University of Bologna, St Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. v.stanghellini@unibo.it
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stanghellini
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D003672:Defecation; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome