Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Utilizing Stool Testing as A Possible
First-Line Approach to IBS

Many of the treatable conditions capable of producing symptoms that meet Rome criteria for IBS can be detected or suggested by evaluation of selected biomarkers that appear in fecal material. Fecal biomarker testing has the advantage of permitting multiple tests, in parallel, on a single specimen. A positive result on one or more fecal biomarker tests may guide therapy, either by suggesting a treatable alternative diagnosis or by eliminating a diagnosis from further consideration, allowing resources to be redirected to more likely diagnoses.

Below are links to IBS population studies utilizing Genova stool testing that demonstrate clinical utility and cost-effectiveness. In a retrospective database review study of subjects with IBS-like symptoms, a large proportion (more than 80%) were found to have potentially treatable conditions that produced the IBS-like symptoms. Abnormal values suggesting intestinal dysbiosis, food allergy, parasite infection, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or gastrointestinal inflammatory processes were the most common findings.