Drug Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Serotonin (5-HT) Modulators

31 BACKGROUND ON CURRENT IBS TREATMENT IBS is defined as “a functional bowel disorder in which abdominal pain and/or discomfort is associated with defecation or a change in bowel habit, with features of disordered defecation and distention” (5). It is one of the most common disorders diagnosed by gastroenterologists and accounts for up to 12% of total visits to primary care providers (3). Although only a quarter of all persons with IBS seek medical care (6), there are between 2.4 and 3.5 million annual physician visits for IBS in the United States, during which 2.2 million prescriptions are written (7). The cost to society in terms of direct medical expenses and indirect costs associated with loss of productivity and work absenteeism is considerable (8). A recent study reported that the prevalence of IBS was 15 million and the annual direct and indirect costs in United States were 1.4 billion and 205 million Drug Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Serotonin (5-HT) Modulators TREATMENT OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME—NEW APPROACHES, SERIES #5